Expenditure for Provision of Interim IT and Professional Staff Services: FOI release

Information requested

We formally request the information listed below in relation to the Scottish Governments current Framework for the Provision of Interim IT Staff Services and Provision of Interim Professional Staff Services.

1. Total spend & margin for each public body between Apr 2019 – Mar 2020 & Apr 2020 – July 2020 and to which agency.

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested, and therefore this is exempt under Section 17(1) - information not held. The reason why we don't have the information is explained below.

We are unable to provide all of the information that you have requested because of the way in which we collate and hold information. You have requested information in relation to spend and margin for the period April 2020 – July 2020. However as we collate information on a quarterly basis, (not broken down by month), the latest available complete/validated data set is for the period April 2020 – June 2020. Additionally, the Scottish Government does not hold information in relation to supplier margin, only commission.

We are also unable to provide information under section 33(1)(b) (Commercial Interests) i.e. commission rates.

Disclosure of some of this information is withheld under s33 (1)(b) [Commercial interest], as disclosure of it is likely to prejudice substantially the commercial interest of the bidders and the Scottish Government. As these exemptions are conditional we have applied the public interest test’ to the information. This means we have, in all circumstances of this case, considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding exemption. We recognise there is a public interest in having transparent tendering processes. On the other hand, commercially sensitive information will be made public, and it is likely to damage the commercial interests of the companies whose information is released. This, in turn, could mean that the Scottish Government may be unable to generate genuine and effective competitive tendering processes, and that, in our view, would not be in the public interest.

You will find full details of the exemptions that I consider apply to the information you requested at www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2002/13/contents.

Total spend (including commission) for each public body between Apr 2019 – Mar 2020 & Apr 2020 – June 2020 and to which agency is included in the attached spreadsheet.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FoI - 202000106059 - Information Released - Annex

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Excel document

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