Why did Merseytravel pay for flights to Tokyo costing £4,357.92?

Why did Merseytravel pay for flights to Tokyo costing £4,357.92?

Why did Merseytravel pay for flights to Tokyo costing £4,357.92?

                                             

Merseytravel invoice Key Travel £4357.92 flights London to Tokyo April 2016
Merseytravel invoice Key Travel £4357.92 flights London to Tokyo April 2016

Invoices exclusively published on this blog show that Merseytravel spent £4,357.92 on British Airways return flights from London (Heathrow) to Tokyo (Narita) travelling out on the 16th May 2016 and returning on the 20th May 2016. One of the three passengers was senior manager David Powell and the costs were charged to the Rolling Stock Programme.
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What are Merseytravel’s legal fees to defend a legal challenge to the £272 million rolling stock contract?

What are Merseytravel’s legal fees to defend a legal challenge to the £272 million rolling stock contract?

What are Merseytravel’s legal fees to defend a legal challenge to the £272 million rolling stock contract?

                                     

During the 2016-17 audit (which covers the start of April 2016 to the end of March 2017), I requested to inspect various invoices paid by Merseytravel and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and have since picked up copies from their headquarters.

In December 2016, a large rolling stock contract (for new trains) was agreed by councillors on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to be awarded to Stadler Bussnang AG. Stadler Bussnang AG will charge £272,424,952.00 for the new trains.

An unsuccessful bidder (Bombardier) brought a challenge to how the procurement decision had been arrived at and large invoices for legal work from DLA Piper UK LLP have been submitted to Merseytravel’s Rolling Stock Director (David Powell).

The thumbnails of invoices below each link to a higher resolution image for the same invoice.

Invoice 413 from DLA Piper UK LLP (invoice 54833489) dated 31st January 2017 is for £231,124.96. This is for the matter, “Fleet Replacement Project”. This is broken down to “To our fees for professional services” of £187,013.80 + VAT, followed by the following expenses, search fees (£2.00 + VAT), subsistence (£152.68 + VAT), travel (£5,195.65 + VAT) and Vroom Plus (£240 + VAT).

Continue reading “What are Merseytravel’s legal fees to defend a legal challenge to the £272 million rolling stock contract?”