Recent Tender Process - Supply, Installation & Maintenance of Access Control System
Dear School of Oriental and African Studies,
Following the recent tender process for the Supply, Installation & Maintenance of Access Control Systems, could you provide copies of the returns submitted by shortlisted companies at the final tender stage.
Yours faithfully,
Andy Perry
Dear Mr Perry,
Thank you for your information request which has been received by SOAS. I
will write to you in due course with the School's response.
Yours sincerely,
Raksha Bhanderi
Directorate Assistant
Dear Mr Perry
Thank you for your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request of 9
September. I have reproduced your questions below together with SOAS’s
response.
Following the recent tender process for the Supply, Installation &
Maintenance of Access Control Systems, could you provide copies of the
returns submitted by shortlisted companies at the final tender stage.
Please find attached information submitted by ADT, Optyma, Mitie and
Reliance High-Tech.
Some information has been withheld or redacted (blacked out) under an
exemption from disclosure at section 43 of the FOIA, as disclosure would
prejudice the commercial interests of the bidders concerned.
Releasing pricing details, strategic information and commercial terms
being offered to SOAS in the tender would be likely to harm the bidders’
commercial interests by enabling their competitors to gain an unfair
advantage over them in future tenders of a similar nature.
This is especially true since the information concerned is recent (just
three months old) and could feasibly be used in current procurement
exercises being carried out by other higher education institutions (the
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is currently tendering for
the same requirement – a new access control system).
The public interest in ensuring a level playing field and fair competition
for public contracts outweighs the minimal public interest gained by
disclosing the commercially sensitive details of shortlisted bids.
Your right to appeal
I hope that you are satisfied with this response, but in the event that
you are not, you may request an internal review, by writing to me at the
below address:
Information Compliance Manager
SOAS, University of London
Thornhaugh Street
Russell Square
London WC1H 0XG
United Kingdom
Email: [1][SOAS request email]
If it does not prove possible to resolve your complaint informally, I will
arrange for a formal review of the handling of your request according to
the School's procedures. These can be found on SOAS's website at
[2]http://www.soas.ac.uk/infocomp/foi/appea....
If you are dissatisfied with SOAS's response following this internal
review, you can apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision on
whether your request has been dealt with in accordance with the
requirements of the Freedom of Information Act or the Environmental
Information Regulations. The Commissioner will normally require you to
have gone through our internal appeal process first before he considers
your appeal. If the Commissioner finds in your favour, the Commissioner
can require SOAS to release the information to you. The Commissioner can
be contacted at the following address:
Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
United Kingdom
Further information about your right to appeal to the Information
Commissioner is available on the Commissioner's website
([3]http://www.ico.org.uk/).
Yours sincerely,
Albert Chan
Information Compliance Manager
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