Julian Todd 
By email: Julian Todd [[FOI #1132 email]] 
 
20 October 2008 
 
 
Dear Mr Todd 
 
Freedom of information request – RFI20081046 
 
Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”) dated 23 
September 2008. The reference number for your request is RFI20081046. 
 
You wrote: 
  
“Thank you for your reply dated 15 September 2008 to my FOI request (reference: RFI20080902). In it, 
you explained: 
 
 """The consultation process was part of a BBC project looking at ways to increase transparency in the 
BBC’s activities without compromising commercial sensitivity and, therefore, we did not create the report you 
have requested.""" 
 
Please can you send me details about said BBC project looking at ways to increase transparency in its 
activities, including: 
 
* the name or other identifier of the project, its correspondence address, its extent, and when it was 
initiated 
 
* the list of legitimate issues this project considers would compromise commercial sensitivity 
 
 * the list of ways for increasing transparency in the BBC's activities which have so far been considered by 
this project 
 
* the list of ways which have been accepted 
 
* the list of ways which have been rejected, which commercial entities made objections, and their objections 
 

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 * the future plans for this project.” 
 
In answer to your request: 
 
Following the 2004 Graf Report on the BBC’s Online Services, the BBC set up a working group, 
known as the Supplier Implementation Group, as part of its efforts to achieve the mandatory quota 
set by the BBC Board of Governors for the use of external suppliers. Whilst the group was keen to 
make the BBC’s engagement of external suppliers open and accessible, this was not the main purpose: 
the group’s principal aim was to look at ways in which the BBC could increase its use of external 
suppliers to a minimum of 25% eligible budget per year. The group did not have a discrete 
correspondence address.  
 
To this end, as we described in our response to your request reference RFI20080766, the group 
consulted and discussed at length with various external suppliers and trade bodies such as the 
Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (“PACT”) to ensure that the definitions around the 
BBC Online Quota would be relevant to both the BBC and the wider industry.  
 
The outcome of the consultation, as agreed by the BBC Trust and as described to you in our reply to 
your request reference RFI20080902, was to apply a competitive tendering process, to create the 
Approved Suppliers List and to implement the online commissioning system. The processes can be 
found at the following link:  
http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/futuremedia/index.shtml
 
We can confirm that the lists you have requested do not exist.  
 
The group’s activities drew to a close in 2005 when responsibility for reaching the mandatory quota 
was devolved to individual divisions within the BBC. 
 
We hope you find this information useful. 
 
Appeal Rights 
If you are not satisfied with this response you have the right to an internal review by a BBC senior 
manager or legal adviser. Please contact us at the address above, explaining what you would like us to 
review and including your reference number. If you are not satisfied with the internal review, you can 
appeal to the Information Commissioner. The contact details are:  Information Commissioner's Office, 
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone 01625 545 700 or see 
http://www.ico.gov.uk/
 
Yours sincerely 
 
L. Stiller 
Legal and Business Affairs Manager 
BBC Future Media & Technology 
 
 

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