Corona: NRW paid 7.7 million euros for external advice
The state of NRW has paid around 7.7 million euros to external consultants since 2020 in the course of the pandemic. By far the largest share of this, almost 6.2 million euros, went to a management consultancy. According to the state government, the company was responsible for the planning, organization and management of coronavirus tests in schools.
According to an as yet unpublished answer from the state government to a question from the AfD in the state parliament, a total of 14 institutions received money for consulting services. These included scientific institutions such as the Institute for Hygiene and Public Health at Bonn University Hospital (around 40,000 euros) and Cologne University Hospital (223,000 euros). Several law firms also received money.
The management consultancy Boston Consulting received the lion's share of the consultancy fees, namely 6.2 million euros. The company had been commissioned by the Ministry of Education - according to a ministry spokesperson, this involved the PCR pool tests, which were extremely complex.
In 2020 - the outbreak of the pandemic - the total expenditure for consulting amounted to a good 172,000 euros, according to the state government. In 2021, costs rose sharply to 7.66 million euros. Expenditure then fell sharply again.
The NRW government spent a significant portion of its funds on external consulting services during the pandemic, with the Ministry of Education recruiting Boston Consulting to oversee PCR pool tests, which are known to be complex. Additionally, various scientific institutions and law firms also received funding for their advice in managing diseases associated with Covid-19, like corona.
Source: www.dpa.com
