SIA procurement and ICT plans: additional request
Updated 16 March 2023
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1. Request
ICT Strategy plan, Procurement Strategy plan and Budget reports are missing. Please provide.
2. Response
I can confirm that we do hold this information.
2.1 ICT strategy plan
I can confirm that the ICT strategy plan has been provided to you in a previous FOI response. The Data & Digital presentation attachment covering the ICT strategy was set until 2024. Your response and the attached strategy can be viewed here: SIA Information Technology: strategy, plans and budgets.
2.2 ICT strategy plan
We do not hold this information.
2.3 Budget reports
In respect of the ICT Budget I confirm that the capital expenditure bid for the financial year 2023-2024 is £1.5m.
In respect of the budget report for procurement, this information is exempt from disclosure under to Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Section 43(2) of the FOIA relates to information that would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it). In deciding whether the release of this information would or would likely, prejudice someone’s commercial interests, I have applied the prejudice test:
- Applicable interests: Disclosing this information would likely have a negative consequence on the competition of the open procurement tender process between bidders.
- Nature of prejudice: The SIA has envisaged that the prejudice would be real as the disclosure of this information would lead to disadvantaging the commercial interests of the SIA. Certain bidders would be given a commercial advantage over other bidders which prevents an open, fair and transparent process in line with Principles of Procurement.
As a result of these two factors, the SIA is of the view that there is a likelihood of the occurrence of the prejudice happening should the commercially sensitive information be disclosed. It would affect the SIA’s commercial interests in the event of open tender.
The SIA has also considered the public interest test when applying this exemption. We acknowledge there is a public interest in allowing the public access to our documents in respect of this subject matter because it allows for the SIA as a public body to remain open and transparent, contributing to public confidence in us as a regulator. It would also enable the public to better scrutinise how public money is spent. However, the SIA considers that withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosure in this case. This is because the SIA would not be able to maintain a competitive negotiating position when a tendering process is live for a particular contract, and therefore the disclosure of the information would likely prejudice the commercial interests of the SIA for the reasons stated in the above test.
[Reference: FOI 0399]