Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
September 27, 2023

Please Don’t Call Deloitte If Your House Is On Fire

“Hiring Deloitte [to manage PPE procurement] was a funny thing to do. If there is a fire, you don’t call the auditor, you call the fire service.”

— said an anonymous clothing manufacturer based in northern England, who said Deloitte has ignored his company’s offers to make medical gowns for healthcare workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic since mid-March.

So here’s what’s going on in the U.K.: The Cabinet Office hired Deloitte several weeks ago to advise government officials on personal protective equipment purchases. In March when the coronavirus hit England, it became apparent that healthcare workers were quickly running out of masks, gloves, and gowns, and a whole helluva lot more was needed.

So the government flashed a large spotlight in the London sky, like the Bat-Signal but instead of Batman’s emblem it had a silhouette of Boris Johnson’s head and messy hair, and asked manufacturers and wholesalers to make more PPE.

The government set up an email address specifically to receive offers from manufacturers and put a team of Green Dotters in charge of going through all the emails.

And that’s when the problems began, according to The Telegraph:

The email address was overwhelmed with offers – more than 8,000 at the last count. They ranged from major manufacturers like Airbus, to schools to make 3D visors and even elderly ladies offering the use of their sewing machines.

Hundreds of emails sent to the Cabinet Office address by wholesalers and manufacturers have been met with the same automated reply.

“Thank you for your offer of support,” the message reads. “We will be back in contact shortly to establish more information around the potential opportunity.”

For many firms, that was last they heard. Despite repeated emails and phone calls, the Deloitte team never replied.

Which is exactly what happened to the dude whose quote we used.

But hey, at least Deloitte has done a bang-up job in the U.S. building systems for states, like Florida, to flawlessly handle all their residents’ unemployment benefits claims during the coronavirus crisis.

‘Useless’ Deloitte accused of PPE failings amid COVID-19 deal secrecy [openDemocracy]
How the decision to take control of PPE is coming back to bite the government [The Telegraph]

Latest Accounting Jobs--Apply Now:

Have something to add to this story? Give us a shout by email, Twitter, or text/call the tipline at 202-505-8885. As always, all tips are anonymous.

Related articles

Deloitte University Is Getting Bigger Because God Forbid KPMG Have the Superior Brainwashing Compound

Dallas Morning News reported yesterday that groundbreaking on a “massive expansion” of the already massive Deloitte University campus in Westlake, Texas will begin in January. Deloitte’s been wanting to expand for a while but was waiting on Tarrant County commissioners to approve more than $5 million in tax breaks. “We certainly appreciate the great corporate […]

illustration of a chair with a box of someone's stuff and a "dismissed" sign

Layoff Watch ’23: Deloitte UK Cuts More Than 800 People Because Business is Slow and People Aren’t Quitting

Reported earlier today by Financial News, Deloitte UK is cutting approximately 3 percent of its workforce or more than 800 people. The cuts are concentrated in consulting, financial advisory, and risk advisory though a few audit and business services folks also got the axe. FN cites slowing demand in the second half of the year […]