Published February 2021 — one of the first Brethren Exposed investigations. Unispace, the interior design company owned by Gareth and Charles Hales (sons of PBCC leader Bruce Hales), won approximately $28 million in US government Covid contracts under no-bid criteria. California: ~$15 million for isolation gowns. Maryland: $11.5 million for isolation gowns. New Orleans: $1.9 million for beds at the convention centre.
While Unispace Global was winning £680 million in UK DHSC contracts via the government VIP lane, the same company — owned by Gareth and Charles Hales, sons of PBCC leader Bruce Hales — was simultaneously winning government contracts in the United States. These were awarded under no-bid criteria: the US equivalent of the UK's negotiated procedure without prior publication.
All three contracts were awarded under no-bid criteria — the emergency procurement route used during the pandemic when competitive tender was bypassed. Unispace Global, an office interior design company, had no history of supplying PPE or medical beds before 2020 in any country.
The US contracts — though smaller than the UK awards — are significant for two reasons. First, they confirm that the Unispace pivot to PPE was global, not simply a response to UK government demand. Second, the no-bid route was used in multiple US states simultaneously, suggesting a coordinated approach to public procurement across jurisdictions.