My Rt Hon Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office and HM Paymaster General, Jeremy Quin MP, has today made the following statement:
In August 2022, Bain & Company and its global affiliates were excluded from bidding for UK Government business. Following the decision, Bain & Company have cooperated with our investigations, and have provided considerable additional information on their self-cleansing actions. They have also agreed to a period of rigorous monitoring for a minimum of two years, during which their continued compliance will be assessed. Given the progress made since the exclusion, we can confirm that while Bain & Company South Africa, Inc. will remain excluded from UK Government business, Bain & Company, Inc. and its affiliates outside of South Africa are no longer excluded from bidding for government work.
Following robust and intensive dialogue with Bain & Company since the exclusion decision was made in August, which has received the full cooperation from the company, we have concluded that Bain & Company, Inc. and its affiliates outside of South Africa, including both Bain & Company, Inc. United Kingdom and BuyingTeam Limited (trading as Proxima), can bid for UK Government work.
Since the exclusion decision in August 2022, Bain & Company have responded by producing detailed evidence of the measures they have taken internally (including related to the way Bain & Company handles bids for UK Government work), which was not available to the Cabinet Office previously.
This decision is subject to a regular and thorough period of close monitoring, for a minimum of two years, so we can be satisfied that the company continues to uphold the measures they have now put in place.
During the monitoring period, Bain & Company has agreed that it will engage further with the Cabinet Office to provide evidence that their governance, organisation and internal processes are now working and will continue to work as they should do to prevent anything similar happening again.
Bain & Company South Africa, Inc. remains excluded from bidding for UK Government procurements until 4 January 2025, given the findings of the Zondo Commission on its prior involvement with the South African Revenue Service. Bain & Company South Africa has acknowledged it did not fully clarify the facts and circumstances regarding its work for the South African Revenue Service in a comprehensive manner.
Bain & Company has previously apologised for the fact that Bain & Company South Africa’s work in South Africa contributed to damaging a critical public institution and acknowledged that its cooperation with investigating authorities fell short.
We will review any new information that comes to light, including as a result of any potential reconsideration by the South African Government of their decision to ban Bain & Company South Africa.
Bain & Company has welcomed this robust external challenge, to help ensure that going forward their governance is of a consistently high standard, that the self-cleansing actions put in place are operational and that any new issues arising are being managed and communicated transparently.
We strongly condemn corporate malpractice and will not hesitate to exclude suppliers should they be found to not be upholding the highest standards.
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