Just one example https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/apr/16/government-ignores-uk-textiles-firms-desperate-to-make-ppe.
The government wants to use business but apparently only big business because it can scale. The problem is this; most government is massively bigger that anything private companies attempt - so the large corporate firms chosen for centralised solutions fail, to make matters worse they are not democratic and push for commercial confidentiality, we continue to assume they have the expertise and that that the civil service and local government do not. I am reminded of the comment Norman Tebbit is reported to have made when asked about Archie Normans chances of becoming Conservative leader – just because he can run a supermarket does not mean he can run the country. But small companies used in local situations wouldn't have this problem, they would have specific contracts tailored to be part of a bigger solution being put together by people close to the work in their areas. Using small companies in these circumstances might actually help local economies.