NSRP/Renew - Contracts awarded above £5,000 without 3 quotes being sought

Dear Mr Jones

Your request for information

Thank you for your request for information about contracts. Your request was received on 5th February 2010 and I am dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

In some circumstances we may charge for information. If there is a charge I will let you know as you will have to pay it before we deal with your request.

Some information does not have to be released under the Freedom of Information Act. We will check the information you have asked for and send you as much as possible. If another person or organisation is named in the information we may have to ask their opinion before we decide what we can give you.

Please note that we are currently experiencing a high volume of requests and therefore we would ask politely that you do not contact us regarding your request unless the statutory deadline has been exceeded or you wish to modify or withdraw your request. This will enable us to process and respond to your request as quickly as possible.

If you have any queries about this email please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,
Hannah Quinn

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Dear Mr Jones

Your request for information on NSRP/Renew

Unfortunately it has proved more complex and time consuming than anticipated to locate and retrieve the information that you have asked for. I apologise for any inconvenience that this delay may cause.

If you have any queries or concerns about this email, please do not hesitate to contact me.

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision, you should write to: Louise Kelly, Information Manager, Chief Executive’s Directorate, Civic Centre Floor 4, Glebe Street, ST4 1HH or email [Stoke on Trent City Council request email].

If, after contacting us, you are not content with the outcome, you may ask the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the Information Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have already used our appeal procedure. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely,
Hannah Quinn

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Dear Mr Jones

Your request for information on NSRP contracts

We have now considered your request for information and a copy of the
information is below.

All Renew/NSRP contracts are governed by the NSRP Procurement Procedure
which is based on the City Council's Contract Procedure Rules. This states
that as a minimum requirement 3 competitive quotes must be obtained for
all goods/services procured between £5,000 and £49,000. Where this is
not possible an exemption certificate must be obtained from Corporate
Procurement which is signed by both the relevant Director and the Head of
Procurement.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is unaware of any cases within Renew or the
NSRP where three quotes or a valid exemption certificate have not been
obtained.

In relation to Renew, procurement panels are in place. The relevant City
Council/EU Procurement Regulations (where appropriate) were followed to
establish the panels. Tenders for Renew funded work are advertised to the
members of the relevant panel/sub panel and as such negates the
requirement to obtain 3 quotes in such cases.

If you have any queries about this email, please do not hesitate to
contact me.

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision,
you should write to: Louise Kelly, Information Manager, Chief
Executive’s Directorate, Civic Centre Floor 4, Glebe Street, ST4 1HH or
email [1][Stoke on Trent City Council request email].

If, after contacting us, you are not content with the outcome, you may ask
the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the Information
Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have already used our
appeal procedure. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The
Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely,

Hannah Quinn

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Dear Mr Jones,

I have been asked to respond to your appeal regarding information provided
in relation to your Freedom of Information request referenced above.

The explanation contained in our previous response remains valid. In
accordance with our procedures NSRP/Renew can, in appropriate
circumstances such as a lack of available providers, Value for Money
considerations etc, request an exemption certificate to be independently
granted by the City Council's Corporate Procurement Team. It is therefore
legitimate and in accordance with the City Council's policy not to have to
seek 3 tenders/quotes in all cases.

From a manual review of the exemption certificates granted in 2009/10, it
will be possible to identify the particular occassions where contracts
have been let without 3 tenders/quotes being sought. It will take some
time to review all of the relevant exemption certificates obtained in
2009/10. I am hoping that I should be able to provide this information to
you by Monday 10th May 2010. Could you please confirm that this is
acceptable to you.

Thanks
Alison Bennett (Resources Implementation Manager - NSRP)

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Dear Mr Jones,

Please find attached the information you requested in relation to the
above Freedom of Information Act request.

The information included in the response has been taken from the exemption
certificates issued in resepct of the NSRP in 2009/10. As such the
information provided does not include details of the contracts let, only
the project area that the exemption certificate covers.

The attached information covers all NSRP exemption certificatess issued in
the financial year including those where it was not possible to obtain 3
quotes given the specialised nature of the work as well as cases where
three quotes were sought but the required number were not returned.

Thanks
Alison Bennett (Resources Implementation Manager - NSRP)

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