Good Morning,

Freedom of Information Act 2000 – Information Request ENQ-370392-S3C2D6

Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 received on 11 October 2019.

We have up to 20 working days in which to deal with your request. If we require clarification regarding your request, we will contact you to explain this. The 20 working day period will then start from the day that we receive your clarification.

You will also be informed in advance if there is a charge for supplying copies of the information.

Please also be aware that, if the requested information contains references to any third parties, we may need to consult these individuals about the release of their personal data before making a decision whether or not to release the information to you.

We will also provide an explanation if any information is not released to you.

Should you have any queries regarding your request, please contact the team by email [email address] or by telephone 01603 222661.

Yours sincerely,

Sarah Cooper, Business Support Assistant
Information Compliance Team
Dept: 01603 222661
Bay 7-9, Ground Floor, County Hall, Norwich

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Dear Mr Peacock

Freedom of Information Request ENQ- 370392-S3C2D6

I refer to your request for information dated 11 October 2019.

You asked for:

•Information regarding the MFD/MPS contract.

Your request has been considered and is refused. In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act), this letter acts as a Refusal Notice.

Exemption

Section 22(1) of the Act provides an exemption for release of information if it is intended for future publication.

Reason why the exemption applies

The exemption applies for the following reasons:

The information that you have requested relates to contracts that Norfolk County Council procures through its formal procurement process. When this service next goes out for tender, the information that you request will be freely and publicly available on the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) by way of a Contract Notice and an Award Notice and/or on Contracts Finder. Information about when the contract will be due for retendering can be found on the County Council website: https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/what-we-do-an...

Public Interest Test Reasons

The Council has considered whether the public interest in maintaining this exemption is outweighed by the public interest in disclosure.

This Council has considered the following reasons in favour of disclosure:
•Promoting accountability and transparency by public authorities for decisions taken by them.
•Promoting accountability and transparency in the spending of public money, whether realised or planned.

Set against this is the fact that this information is held with a view to its future publication upon retendering of the service. The information will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) by way of a Contract Notice and an Award Notice once the contract is tendered. This is a statutory requirement. To release the information now would involve additional work for the council and divert funds away from statutory functions of the Council.

On balance the Council considers that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure

We have a competitive tender process and do not accept direct marketing.

If you are dissatisfied with our handling of your request you have the right of appeal through the Council’s internal review procedure by setting out the grounds of your appeal in writing to:

[email address]
or Information Compliance Team
Room 043
County Hall
Martineau Lane
Norwich
NR1 2DH

An appeal should be submitted within 40 working days of the date of this notice and should be identified as "FOI Appeal".

If you are dissatisfied after pursuing the complaints procedure, you may apply to the Information Commissioner under Section 50 of the Act for a decision whether your request for information has been dealt with in accordance with the requirements of Part I of the Act. Refer to the ICO Website at: https://ico.org.uk/concerns/ for advice on how to report a concern. Or you can write to them at:

First Contact Team
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane, Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely

Bev Whittaker, Information Compliance Officer
Information Management
Tel: 01603 638017 | Dept: 01603 222661
Bays 7,8 & 9, Ground Floor, South Wing, County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich

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