FOI request (FOIR-660219035)

Contract Register, Procurement Strategy, and Contact Details

Requested Wed 06 November 2024
Responded Wed 20 November 2024

I am writing to submit a Freedom of Information request for information related to the organisation's contracts register, procurement strategy document, and contact details. Please find the detailed requests below:

1. Contract Register Request:

I am seeking the full and entirety of the organisation's contract register or database. The register should include the following columns/headings or something similar:

· Contract Reference (unique reference number associated with the contract)

· Contract Title

· Procurement Category

· Supplier Name

· Spend (total, annual, or contract value)

· Contract Duration

· Contract Extensions

· Contract Start Date

· Contract Expiry Date

· Contract Description [(as much detail as possible)

· Contact Owner (person that manages the contract register)

· Contact details of section 151 officer

· CPV codes/Pro-Class

How many contracts are currently held on the contract register?

If any of the headings within your contract register has not been provided, please state this within your response.

Please provide the contract register file in Excel format.

2. Procurement Strategy Document Request:

a. Can the organisation provide a full version of their Procurement Strategy for the fiscal year 2024/25?

b. If the Procurement Strategy is a strategic direction (2022/25) instead of an annual plan, please provide an update document for 2023/24. If an update cannot be provided, please provide information on when an update is planned to be published.

We require the full document. If any parts of this document have been removed, please state this within your response.

3. Contact Details Request:

a. Provide contact details of the person responsible for API or data sharing, including name, job title, telephone, and email address.

b. Provide contact details of the person responsible for the actual contract register, including name, job title, telephone, email address.

IMPORTANT:

In the past I have received a response from the Council and have been given a link for the contract register (Chest) which only holds 157. I have been told by the procurement department that the Council has around 700 contracts. Please can you provide me with the full contract register.

If the organisation has a CRM system or a similar system, ensure there is a facility to download and extract contract data.

If providing a weblink to a portal, ensure that all contracts are included, as some organisations may only upload a small portion of their contracts.

For organisations planning to make an exemption around spend, clarify that the spend information requested is an overall figure, and a complete breakdown is not required.

Response

Hastings Borough Council's Contract Register is held on the East Sussex Procurement Hub:

https://in-tendhost.co.uk/Wealden/aspx/ViewContractsRegister.aspx?id=0193ec99-37ee-4eb0-ae93-68067f23fd95

NOTICE OF REFUSAL

The information you are requesting is being refused under Section 22 - Information intended for future publication.

The information on our current published contract register is that which is provided by the East Sussex Procurement Hub (ESPH) as part of our service level agreement with them. It has come to our attention that this register may not have all the complete information on and we are working with ESPH to ensure that this register is updated in a timely fashion.

We are currently reviewing our contract management process and this information will be added at a future date.

The exemption afforded by Section 22 is subject to what is known as the 'public interest test'. When applying the test in a particular case a public authority is deciding whether the public interest is better served by non-disclosure than by disclosure. Although the Freedom of Information Act does not define 'in the public interest', there is a presumption under Freedom of Information that openness is in the public interest.

In applying the public interest test, a public authority will take into account the distinction that has been often made by courts between things that are in the public interest, and things that merely interest the public. Where applicants have not identified public interest considerations succinctly or accurately, the public authority has a responsibility under the Act to make their own assessment of the public interest considerations in the particular case.

We have identified the following public interest factors that may be seen as encouraging the disclosure of information:

a) accountability of public spending.

We consider these factors to be of limited relevance in relation to the information in question.

Public interest factors seen as encouraging non-disclosure are, generally, the exemptions themselves. In consideration of this matter we came to the following conclusions:

a) the information on our current contract register is incomplete (please see above).

b) damage to reputation and/or financial interests.

In weighing the factors for and against disclosure we have concluded that the likely benefit to the applicant and the wider public of disclosure is outweighed by the likely prejudice caused by such disclosure and that therefore the public interest is better served by non-disclosure.

For the reasons given above we will not be communicating to you the information you have requested.