Number of contracts awarded to local businesses versus outside firms
Dear Boston Borough Council,
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding your council's procurement policies and practices. Specifically, I would like to know:
1 - What are your council's procurement policies and procedures for awarding contracts?
2 - How many contracts has your council awarded in the past year?
3 - Of those contracts, how many were awarded to local businesses, and how many were awarded to outside firms?
4 - How does your council define a "local" business for the purposes of awarding contracts?
5 - What criteria does your council use to assess bids for contracts, and how are these criteria weighted?
6 - Does your council have a policy or target for the proportion of contracts that should be awarded to local businesses? If so, what is that target?
7 - Does your council monitor the performance of contractors it has awarded contracts to? If so, how is this monitored?
I would like to receive the above information in electronic format, preferably as a spreadsheet or other structured data format, if possible.
If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide assistance under Section 16 to refine the request.
Thank you for your assistance in this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information.
Yours faithfully,
Daniel Jaines
Thank you for your email. If you are applying for information under The
Freedom of Information Act 2000 or the Environmental Information
Regulations 2004, your request is being processed and a response will be
sent to you within 20 working days from receipt of your request. However,
if we require further clarification regarding your request we will contact
you as soon as possible.
In the meantime, please accept this as an acknowledgement of your email.
Kind regards,
Boston Borough Council
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Following a request for clarification from North Kesteven District Council, I felt it best to include my response in all submissions of this FOI, so for further details/clarification see below:
Dear Graeme,
Thank you for your speedy response to my Freedom of Information request regarding the number of contracts awarded to local businesses versus outside firms. I appreciate your feedback and would like to provide further clarification for the definitions you have requested.
For the purposes of this request, a "contract" refers to any legally binding agreement made by the council with a supplier or service provider, including but not limited to purchase orders, service level agreements, and contracts for works, goods or services. The time period of interest is the most recent completed fiscal year, from April 1st, 2022, to March 31st, 2023.
Thank you for your assistance.
Yours sincerely,
Daniel
Thank you for your email. If you are applying for information under The
Freedom of Information Act 2000 or the Environmental Information
Regulations 2004, your request is being processed and a response will be
sent to you within 20 working days from receipt of your request. However,
if we require further clarification regarding your request we will contact
you as soon as possible.
In the meantime, please accept this as an acknowledgement of your email.
Kind regards,
Boston Borough Council
This email may contain sensitive or personal data, please think before
including in any forwarded correspondence.
The information within this email is confidential. It is intended solely
for the addressee and access to this email by anyone else is unauthorised.
Such unauthorised use, disclosure, copying, distribution, any action or
inaction in reliance of it is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful.
If you have received this email in error:
1. Notify the sender immediately
2. Do not use or disclose the information in any way
3. Delete the email from your system
Good morning,
Thank you for your information access request received on the 10^th May
2023 where you asked for information regarding the number of contracts
awarded to local businesses versus outside firms.
Under Section 1(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 we can
confirm that Boston Borough Council does hold the information specified in
your request. The information you have requested is detailed below:
1st April Boston Borough
2022 - 31st Council
March 2023
1. The Council's
What are procurement
your policies and
council's procedures can
procurement be found within
policies the Council's
and Constitution as
procedures the Contract
for Procedure
awarding Rules. This is
contracts? available on
our website and
is therefore
exempt under
[1]Section 21
of the FOIA -
Information
accessible to
applicant by
other means.
Under
[2]Section 16
of the FOIA –
Advice and
assistance, we
have provided
the link for
ease of
reference:
[3]Contract
Procedure Rules
2. This
How many information is
contracts available on
has your our website in
council our Contracts
awarded in Register,
the past therefore
year? exempt under
[4]Section 21
of the FOIA -
Information
accessible to
applicant by
other means.
Under
[5]Section 16
of the FOIA –
Advice and
assistance, we
have provided
the link for
ease of
reference:
[6]Contracts
Register
3. Of N/A – Please
those refer to the
contracts, Contracts
how many Register in Q2.
were
awarded to
local
businesses,
and how
many were
awarded to
outside
firms?
4. There is no
How does agreed
your definition
council currently. A
define a Procurement
"local" Strategy is
business being taken to
for the the Council
purposes of which has a
awarding definition
contracts? included. This
is envisaged to
be approved by
July 2023.
5. The evaluation
What criteria varies
criteria dependent on
does your the project.
council use For example, a
to assess simple purchase
bids for of ICT Hardware
contracts, can likely be
and how are assessed 100%
these based on price,
criteria whereas a
weighted? complex
consultancy
contract may be
assessed on 70%
quality and 30%
cost. Please
note, the
quality
questions vary
project by
project and
include
elements of
social value
and
sustainability.
6. No
Does your
council
have a
policy or Under
target for [7]Section 16
the of the FOIA –
proportion Advice and
of assistance,
contracts please note
that should that Council
be awarded Officers should
to local invite local
businesses? suppliers to
If so, what quote, where
is that appropriate
target? etc. but there
is no
target/policy
for the
proportion that
should be
awarded to
local
businesses.
7. This is now
Does your included within
council the PSPSL Ltd.
monitor the Procurement &
performance Contracts
of provision.
contractors Contracts are
it has monitored based
awarded on agreed KPIs
contracts / SLAs,
to? If so, customer
how is this complaints,
monitored? known
performance
issues etc.
Contract review
meetings are
held to discuss
these examples.
We trust that the information above completes your request in full,
however if we can be of any further assistance please contact us. If
information has been refused, please treat this as a Refusal Notice for
the purposes of the Act.
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 the Council’s
decision, you should contact Richard Steele, Information Manager and Data
Protection Officer on 01205 314368 or by email at
[8][email address]
Kind regards
Alexandra Fisher
Information Governance Officer - Governance
Boston Borough Council | East Lindsey District Council
T: 01205 314200
E: [9][email address]
[10]www.boston.gov.uk |[11]www.e-lindsey.gov.uk
[12]cid:image003.png@01D94516.93EC6340
This email may contain sensitive or personal data, please think before
including in any forwarded correspondence.
The information within this email is confidential. It is intended solely
for the addressee and access to this email by anyone else is unauthorised.
Such unauthorised use, disclosure, copying, distribution, any action or
inaction in reliance of it is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful.
If you have received this email in error:
1. Notify the sender immediately
2. Do not use or disclose the information in any way
3. Delete the email from your system
References
Visible links
1. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/200...
2. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/200...
3. https://democracy.boston.gov.uk/document...
4. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/200...
5. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/200...
6. https://www.boston.gov.uk/contracts
7. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/200...
8. mailto:[email address]
9. mailto:[email address]
10. http://www.boston.gov.uk/
11. http://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/
12. https://awards.lgcplus.com/lgca/en/page/...
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