FOI request (FOIR-764972603)

WAN Services

Requested Wed 12 November 2025
Responded Thu 27 November 2025

I would like to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Some or all of the information previously provided may now be out of date, so I would be grateful if you could provide updated responses to the following questions.

Please address each section individually and, where multiple suppliers exist, provide information separately for each.

Contract 1 – Wide Area Network (WAN) Services (Including HSCN)

WAN Provider(s)

1. Please confirm the main supplier(s) for your WAN services. If this information is not available, please explain why.

Contract Expiry Date

2. Please provide the expiry date for each WAN contract (DD/MM/YYYY or MM/YYYY acceptable).

If rolling, please state the terms.

Contract Description

Please provide a brief summary of the scope of each WAN contract.

Number of Sites Covered

3. Please indicate the number of sites supported by the WAN. An approximation is acceptable.

Annual Average Spend

4. What is the annual average spend for WAN services? Please break this down by provider if more than one.

Procurement Route

5. Please provide details of how each WAN contract was procured. If a framework was used, please include the framework name and reference number.

Internal Contact

Responsible Contact Person(s)

6. Please provide the full contact details for the person(s) responsible for each of the above contracts, including:

• Full name

• Job title

• Direct phone number

• Email address

If full details cannot be provided, the job title alone is acceptable.

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Response

Contract 1 – Wide Area Network (WAN) Services

1. Refused - please see below

2. October 2026

3. Fibre point-to-point links

4. 3 remote sites

5. Refused - please see below

6. Information not held

7. Mark Bourne, Head of Information Technology, 01424 451066

NOTICE OF REFUSAL

The information you have requested in respect of supplier names and costings is commercially sensitive and falls under Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act - Commercially Sensitive Information Information prejudicing commercial interests - commercial interest relating to an organisations commercial activity and may include trading activity procurement and relationships with third parties.

The exemption afforded by Section 43 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) ensuring that companies are able to compete for business fairly.

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.