Grenfell contractor was tipped off it would win deal
REVELATION IS LATEST AT INQUIRY INTO TRAGIC FIRE
THE contractor that won the deal to refurbish Grenfell Tower was given the heads up it was “in first place” days before the tendering interviews, the Grenfell inquiry heard.
The Grenfell Public Inquiry, which is investigating the events leading up to the fatal June 2017 fire, was shown an email which made it clear contracting firm Rydon knew it was likely to get the contract.
Rydon director Steve Blake told a colleague in early March 2014 he had “a meeting with senior representatives from K&C at a housing conference in Brighton.
He wrote an email after the meeting saying: “We have been informally advised that we are in pole position. Ours to lose.”
Peter Maddison, who was head of assets and regeneration at Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, was also at the conference.
He told the inquiry he did not tell Rydon they were in a good position to get the contract.
He said: “I think it’s very unwise”, [to give bidders a heads up].
“It would be improper to give any commercial advantage.”
Tender packs to refurbish Grenfell Tower, create a new space for a boxing club and nursery and over clad it, went out the previous November. Bids were submitted in February 2014 and the scores finalised later that month.
The interviews were scheduled for March 7, the day after the housing conference ended.
Ultimately there were firms bidding for the work.
The retender came after the TMO became frustrated Leadbitters, who had the contract for Kensington Aldridge Academy and the North Kensington Leisure Centre close to the tower. The TMO wanted more details from Leadbitter about its costings for the Grenfell project as they were more expensive than it anticipated.
Mr Maddison was not involved there in the evaluation of the bids but attended the final interviews.
He had suggested Rydon should be invited to bid after he saw the Chalcott estate in Camden.
They worked on the scheme which also had cladding.
Days after Rydon heard they were likely to get the contract, an email shows managing director Jeff Henton asked his PA to arrange “lunch or evening meal if they prefer”.
Mr Maddison said no such meal happened that month. However, he rang Mr Henton the same day to discuss the contract.
And on March 11, 2014, Jeff Henton wrote that Peter Maddison had told him they were in first place and he would be telling the TMO board the following week.
The inquiry’s lawyer Richard Millett QC, asked Mr Maddison if he thought it was improper to tell a bidder they were likely to win the contract.
Mr Maddison disagreed and said “any dialogue at this stage did bring a risk of challenge”.
In his day books he noted he planned to ring Steve Blake to discuss the contract and in an email he wrote that Mr Blake was “comfortable to close” a £270,000 gap in the budget.
And he suggested the TMO’s Grenfell project manager, Claire Williams, met Rydon staff to make sure they understood what they wanted to achieve in terms of “value engineering” the budget.
The inquiry was temporarily halted on Thursday (October 22) as protesters could be heard outside the building in Paddington.
Because of coronavirus, the public – including bereaved and survivors – are not able to attend. The inquiry is live-streamed.
Earlier the inquiry heard Ms Williams discuss the nature of meetings the TMO held with residents of Grenfell Tower.
She explained meetings changed to drop-in sessions after taking soundings from residents in late 2013.
Ms Williams told the inquiry that meetings could be “disruptive” conducted with a small number of residents who “took over”.
She said: “Like any meeting sometimes you find that some people have a view that they wanted to get across and they take the opportunity to take the floor to the exclusion of the topic that you want to talk about.”
She told the inquiry that Ed Daffarn, who raised several concerns about the building was one of the people who regularly came to meetings.
She was asked who else, and told the inquiry “they are no longer with us. I am reticent to say”.
The inquiry continues.