Neil Doran
Procurement Policy &
Information Division
Procurement Directorate
Department for Transport
Zone D/02
Ashdown House
Hastings
East Sussex
TN37 7GA
Steve Martin
By email to [email address]
Our Ref: F0006109
Date: 29th January 2010
Dear Mr Martin
Application under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 – F0006109
I am writing in response to your request for information dated 17th January 2010,
made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in respect of information relating
to consultancy spend.
Your request stated “Please provide a breakdown of the expenditure made by your
department on consultants for the years 2007, 2008 and 2009. Please provide
information on the consultants used, the amount spent and the purpose of the
expenditure. Please include within this scope all consultants, including those used
for design and management and advice. Please also provide details of what your
current projections are for years 2010, 2011 and 2012.”
The Department has previously responded to a similar request which can be found
on the DfT website by following the link:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/foi/responses/2009/oct/foi5632/
Information relating to projections for spend with consultants for 2010, 2011 and
2012 is not held centrally and we estimate that the cost of searching for the
information would exceed the appropriate limit of £600. Section 12 of the FOI Act
provides an exemption for the Department from complying with a request where
the cost in determining whether the information is held, and locating, retrieving and
extracting the information exceeds £600. The figure of £600 represents the
estimated cost of one person spending 24 hours costing £25.00 per hour.
The information provided may now be published on our website. If you are
unhappy with the way the Department has handled your request or with the
decisions made in relation to your request you may complain within two calendar
months of the date of this letter by writing to the Department’s Information Rights
Unit at:
Zone D/04
Ashdown House
Sedlescombe Road North
Hastings
East Sussex TN37 7GA
E-mail: [email address]
Please see attached details of DfT’s complaints procedure and your right to
complain to the Information Commissioner.
If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please remember to
quote the reference number above in any future communications.
Yours sincerely,
Neil Doran
Direct Line: 020 7944 8483
Divisional Enquiries: 020 7944 8484
Fax: 020 7944 8440
GTN No: 3533 8483
e-mail: [email address]
www.dft.gov.uk
www.dft.gov.uk/about/procurement
Your right to complain to DfT and the Information Commissioner
You have the right to complain within two calendar months of the date of this letter
about the way in which your request for information was handled and/or about the
decision not to disclose all or part of the information requested. In addition a
complaint can be made that DfT has not complied with its FOI publication scheme.
Your complaint will be acknowledged and you will be advised of a target date by
which to expect a response. Initially your complaint will be re-considered by the
official who dealt with your request for information. If, after careful consideration,
that official decides that his/her decision was correct, your complaint will
automatically be referred to a senior independent official who will conduct a further
review. You will be advised of the outcome of your complaint and if a decision is
taken to disclose information originally withheld this will be done as soon as
possible.
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to
apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information
Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
