Room 405
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
70 Whitehall
www.cabinet office.gov.uk
London, SW1A 2AS
HELEN MCNALLY
By email xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
FOI Reference:FOI326503
6/7/2018
Dear HELEN MCNALLY
I refer to your request where you asked:
Please could I access al the MISO submissions made under [as of 3 July 2018, 15
Crown Commercial Service framework agreements] in a machine readable format
(preferably .csv). As an example, similar information to the data we require is already
publicly available for G-Cloud here: https://digitalmarketplace.blog.gov.uk/sales-
accreditation-information/
Those commercial arrangements are as fol ows:
● Network Services (RM1045)
● Buildings Materials (RM3747)
● Vehicle Purchase (RM1070)
● Office Supplies for the Wider Public Sector (RM3703)
● Postal Goods and Services (RM1063)
● Apprentice Training and Related Services (RM3823)
● Electricity Supply and Ancil ary Services (RM1075)
● The supply of Natural Gas (Daily / Non Daily Metered) and Ancil ary Services
(RM1076)
● Workforce Management (RM1072)
● Non Medical Non Clinical (RM971)
● Multidisciplinary Temporary Healthcare Personnel (RM3711)
● Merchant Acquiring Services (RM3702)
● Modular Building Systems (RM875)
● Payrol HR & Finance Systems (RM887)
● Corporate Software Solutions (RM1042)
Section 1(1) does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request for information if
they consider the request to be vexatious.
Section 14(1) of the Freedom of Information Act is designed to protect public authorities
by al owing them to refuse any requests which have the potential to cause a
disproportionate or unjustified level of disruption.
The Information Commissioner recognises that dealing with unreasonable requests
submitted in a narrow time period can place a strain on resources and get in the way of
delivering mainstream services or answering legitimate requests. Furthermore, these
requests can also damage the reputation of the legislation itself.
In reaching this decision the Cabinet Office (including the Crown Commercial Service)
have identified the fol owing indicators used in identifying potential y vexatious requests
as relevant to your recent correspondence:
Detrimental impact on the public authority
Prior to the publication of any data, the Crown Commercial Service is committed to
ensuring that any information that could be considered ‘sensitive’ - commercial y or
otherwise - is careful y evaluated. When considering this, the Crown Commercial
Service discusses with several internal and external stakeholders, taking into account
al concerns that each stakeholder may have about the potential release of specific
information. After careful scrutiny, data may be redacted prior to publication in some
circumstances.
To ful y comply with this request, the department would have to contact and assess
responses from hundreds of suppliers and thousands of customers in relation to tens of
thousands of lines of spend data col ected through the Management Information
Systems Online (MISO) tool and I consider that would be an unreasonable burden for
the department to undertake within the bounds of the Freedom of Information Act.
The department therefore considers that your request is vexatious because the effort
required to meet the request wil be so grossly oppressive in terms of the strain on its
time and resources, that it cannot reasonably be expected to comply in this
circumstance.
I would like to stress that this decision relates to the cost of the work and the diversion
of resources that would be required to undertake your request, and that the department
does not consider yourself or your organisation to be vexatious in any capacity.
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request or wish
to request an internal review, you should write to:
Sharon Carter
Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
email: xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
You should note that the Cabinet Office wil not normal y accept an application for
internal review if it is received more than two months after the date that the reply was
issued.
If you are not content with the outcome of your internal review, you may apply directly to
the Information Commissioner for a decision. General y, the Commissioner cannot
make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by
Cabinet Office. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
The Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Yours sincerely
FOI Team
Cabinet Office
