I have no evidence to point to about whether there was favouritism involved.
One of the best arrangements for contracting is to leave it at the professional public service level to make those kinds of judgments so that there isn't micromanagement by ministers or direct involvement by ministers. We have to be careful about delineating the stages in the contracting process and ensuring the right decision-makers are in charge at the right point in time. As I said, when it comes to the tendering of policy advice, that has to end with the minister.