23 January 2004
There was no conflict of interest in the award of a contract for the sale of £400m worth of surplus NHS property, the National Audit Office said this week.
The NAO was called in to investigate the circumstances in which NHS Estates selected the Miller Group as its preferred partner in August 2002.
The deal for the public-private partnership, which also includes the transfer of the Estates' property consultancy, has yet to be concluded.
The investigation was triggered following complaints by the William Pears Group, a member of Health Estates, the rival consortium bidding for the contract.
The watchdog said it would launch a full inquiry into the deal on its completion
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