Dear Mr Roberts,

I write to acknowledge receipt of your Freedom of Information request
which has been given the reference number F00017440.  If you send any
further correspondence about this request, please include the reference
number and either e.mail it to [Flintshire County Council request email], or post it to
Freedom of Information, Flintshire County Council, Information Governance,
County Hall, Mold, Flintshire, CH7 6NA.

Your request has been forwarded to the Freedom of Information Act Contact
Officer for Customer Services to process and this Officer will be in
contact with you.

Regards,

FOI Contact Officer

FOI Contact Officer | Swyddog Cyswllt Rhyddid Gwybodaeth

Governance | Llywodraethu 

Flintshire County Council | Cyngor Sir y Fflint

____________________________________________________________________________________

Tel | Ffôn | 01352 702121

Email | Ebost | [Flintshire County Council request email]

http://www.flintshire.gov.uk | http://www.siryfflint.gov.uk 

http://www.twitter.com/flintshirecc | http://www.twitter.com/csyfflint

********************************************************************** We
welcome correspondence in Welsh. We will respond to correspondence
received in Welsh without delay. Opinions advice, conclusions and other
information in this message that do not relate to the official business of
Flintshire County Council shall be understood as neither given nor
endorsed by it or on its behalf, and consequently Flintshire County
Council shall bear no responsibility whatsoever in respect thereof. Rydym
yn croesawu gohebiaeth Gymraeg. Ymatebwn yn ddi-oed i ohebiaeth a
dderbynnir drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Deellir na fydd unrhyw safbwyntiau, na
chynghorion, na chasgliadau nac unrhyw wybodaeth arall yn y neges hon, nad
ydynt yn berthnasol i waith swyddogol Cyngor Sir y Fflint, yn cael eu
cynnig na'u cadarnhau ganddo nac ar ei ran, ac felly ni fydd Cyngor Sir y
Fflint yn derbyn unrhyw gyfrifoldeb am y rhannau hynny o'r neges.
**********************************************************************

Dear Mr Roberts,

Your Request for Information - F00017440

Thank you for your attached e-mail which I have forwarded to the contact
officer dealing with your request.  Unfortunately she is off on leave this
week so we are unable to check on progress.  We will get back to you as
soon as we can when we are in a position to do so.

Regards,

FOI Contact Officer 

_______________________________________________________________________________

FOI Contact Officer |  Swyddog Cyswllt Rhyddid Gwybodaeth

Governance | Llywodraethu 

Flintshire County Council | Cyngor Sir y Fflint

_______________________________________________________________________________

Tel | Ffôn | 01352 702121

Email | Ebost | [Flintshire County Council request email]

http://www.flintshire.gov.uk | http://www.siryfflint.gov.uk 

http://www.twitter.com/flintshirecc | http://www.twitter.com/csyfflint

show quoted sections

Dear Mr Roberts,

Your FOI Request F00017440

Thank you for your e-mail dated the 29 April 2019.

According to the database progress is being made in dealing with your
request and hopefully the officer dealing with your request will be in a
position to do so shortly.  

Please accept our apologies for the delay.

Regards,

FOI Contact Officer 

_______________________________________________________________________________

FOI Contact Officer |  Swyddog Cyswllt Rhyddid Gwybodaeth

Governance | Llywodraethu 

Flintshire County Council | Cyngor Sir y Fflint

_______________________________________________________________________________

Tel | Ffôn | 01352 702121

Email | Ebost | [Flintshire County Council request email]

http://www.flintshire.gov.uk | http://www.siryfflint.gov.uk 

http://www.twitter.com/flintshirecc | http://www.twitter.com/csyfflint

**********************************************************************

We welcome correspondence in Welsh. We will respond to correspondence
received in Welsh without delay.

Opinions advice, conclusions and other information in this

message that do not relate to the official business of

Flintshire County Council shall be understood as neither

given nor endorsed by it or on its behalf, and consequently

Flintshire County Council shall bear no responsibility

whatsoever in respect thereof.

Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth Gymraeg. Ymatebwn yn ddi-oed i ohebiaeth a
dderbynnir drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.

Deellir na fydd unrhyw safbwyntiau, na chynghorion, na

chasgliadau nac unrhyw wybodaeth arall yn y neges hon,

nad ydynt yn berthnasol i waith swyddogol

Cyngor Sir y Fflint, yn cael eu cynnig na'u cadarnhau ganddo

nac ar ei ran, ac felly ni fydd Cyngor Sir y Fflint yn derbyn

unrhyw gyfrifoldeb am y rhannau hynny o'r neges.

**********************************************************************

Dear Mr Roberts,

Please find attached a response in relation to your FOIA request
F00017440.

Kind regards,

Rebecca Jones

____________________________________________________________________________________
Customer Contact Service Manager | Rheolwr Gwasanaeth Cyswllt â
Chwsmeriaid

Customer Contact | Cyswllt â Chwsmeriaid
Governance | Llywodraethu
Flintshire County Council | Cyngor Sir Y Fflint
____________________________________________________________________________________
Tel | Ffôn | 01352 702413
Email | Ebost | [1][email address]
____________________________________________________________________________________
[2]http://www.flintshire.gov.uk | [3]http://www.siryfflint.gov.uk
[4]http://www.twitter.com/flintshirecc |
[5]http://www.twitter.com/csyfflint

**********************************************************************

We welcome correspondence in Welsh. We will respond to correspondence
received in Welsh without delay.

Opinions advice, conclusions and other information in this

message that do not relate to the official business of

Flintshire County Council shall be understood as neither

given nor endorsed by it or on its behalf, and consequently

Flintshire County Council shall bear no responsibility

whatsoever in respect thereof.

Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth Gymraeg. Ymatebwn yn ddi-oed i ohebiaeth a
dderbynnir drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.

Deellir na fydd unrhyw safbwyntiau, na chynghorion, na

chasgliadau nac unrhyw wybodaeth arall yn y neges hon,

nad ydynt yn berthnasol i waith swyddogol

Cyngor Sir y Fflint, yn cael eu cynnig na'u cadarnhau ganddo

nac ar ei ran, ac felly ni fydd Cyngor Sir y Fflint yn derbyn

unrhyw gyfrifoldeb am y rhannau hynny o'r neges.

**********************************************************************

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.flintshire.gov.uk/
3. http://www.siryfflint.gov.uk/
4. http://www.twitter.com/flintshirecc
5. http://www.twitter.com/csyfflint

I am currently out of the office until 3/6/19

I will reply to your message on my return but if the matter is urgent
please contact [1][email address] or 01352 703020.

Rwyf allan o'r swyddfa ar hyn o bryd 3/6/19

Byddaf yn ymateb i'ch neges ar ôl dychwelyd ond os yw'r mater yn un brys,
cysylltwch â [2][email address] neu 01352 703020.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[email address]

Dear Mr Roberts,

Thank you for your email, the content of which is noted.

In accordance with our complaints procedure I am referring your email to the FOI Team who will review the response I have previously issued and a member of the team will contact you direct shortly.

Yours sincerely,

Rebecca

Rebecca Jones
____________________________________________________________________________________
Customer Contact Service Manager | Rheolwr Gwasanaeth Cyswllt â Chwsmeriaid
Customer Contact | Cyswllt â Chwsmeriaid
Governance | Llywodraethu
Flintshire County Council | Cyngor Sir Y Fflint
____________________________________________________________________________________
Tel | Ffôn | 01352 702413
Email | Ebost | [email address]
____________________________________________________________________________________
http://www.flintshire.gov.uk | http://www.siryfflint.gov.uk
http://www.twitter.com/flintshirecc | http://www.twitter.com/csyfflint

show quoted sections

Dear Mr Roberts,

I write to you in relation to the above the FOI complaint where the
Council had refused your request for a breakdown of figures on how much
the Council has spent on the Abavus platform. The Council refused your
request citing Section 43 (2) Commercial Interests. In line with the
Council’s FOI complaints procedure, I have independently reviewed this
decision and my findings are set out below.

In the original response, the Council applied the exemption to ‘IT
contracts’ in general and did not appear to consider the request in the
context of the Abavus platform. For this reason I have concluded that the
exemption was applied incorrectly.

I have now considered the request further, which involved speaking to the
relevant Service Manager and the supplier. I have established that the
Council received a discounted price from the supplier and the supplier is
not in favour of disclosure. Discounted prices give suppliers competitive
advantage and would harm them commercially if competitors were in receipt
of this information. I must consider that a freedom of information request
response is to ‘the world at large’ therefore is akin to the Council
publishing a suppliers discount rate. In my opinion this meets the
criteria set out in Section 43 (2) where disclosure would, or likely to,
prejudice the commercial interests of any person.

This exemption is subject to a public interest test, which is set out
below:

For Disclosure

•             There is public interest in providing transparency in how
public money has been sent.

Against Disclosure

•             It is in the public interest that suppliers competitive
advantage is not harmed as a result of doing business with the public
sector.

•             It is not in the public interest for the Council to be
subject to Legal action for a breach of contract as a result of
disclosure.

·         The Contract expires in July 2019, should the Council decide to
retender releasing how much the Council currently pays may harm the
integrity of the procurement process.

Taking the above factors into account, I have concluded that the
information requested is exempt under Section 43 (2) of the Freedom of
Information Act.

If you remain dissatisfied you have the right to complain to the
Information Commissioners Officers.

Kind regards

Alun

Alun Kime

____________________________________________________________________________________

Information Governance Manager | Rheolwr Llywodraethu Gwybodaeth

Information & Business Services | Gwasanaethau Busnes a Gwybodaeth

Governance | Llywodraethu

Flintshire County Council | Cyngor Sir y Fflint

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

http://www.flintshire.gov.uk | http://www.siryfflint.gov.uk

http://www.twitter.com/flintshirecc | http://www.twitter.com/csyfflint

**********************************************************************

We welcome correspondence in Welsh. We will respond to correspondence
received in Welsh without delay.

Opinions advice, conclusions and other information in this

message that do not relate to the official business of

Flintshire County Council shall be understood as neither

given nor endorsed by it or on its behalf, and consequently

Flintshire County Council shall bear no responsibility

whatsoever in respect thereof.

Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth Gymraeg. Ymatebwn yn ddi-oed i ohebiaeth a
dderbynnir drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.

Deellir na fydd unrhyw safbwyntiau, na chynghorion, na

chasgliadau nac unrhyw wybodaeth arall yn y neges hon,

nad ydynt yn berthnasol i waith swyddogol

Cyngor Sir y Fflint, yn cael eu cynnig na'u cadarnhau ganddo

nac ar ei ran, ac felly ni fydd Cyngor Sir y Fflint yn derbyn

unrhyw gyfrifoldeb am y rhannau hynny o'r neges.

**********************************************************************