Third party providers of public facing online services

Thank you for your email message. We aim to respond to all requests under
the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information
Regulations 2004 within 20 working days. More information about the way we
deal with information requests is on our web site at
[1]www.merton.gov.uk/foi
 
Information Governance Team
London Borough of Merton.
020 8545 4634
 
 
 

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Please help to reduce waste and do not print this message unless you
really need to.
This message, including any attached files, is intended just for the use
of the individual or organisation to whom it is addressed. Unauthorised
use (for example disclosure, storage or copying) is not permitted. If you
are not the intended recipient please destroy all copies and inform the
sender by return email. Any views or opinions expressed in email are
solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of
Merton Council. Merton Council reserves the right to monitor, record and
retain any incoming and outgoing emails for security reasons and for
monitoring internal compliance with the Merton Council policy on staff
use. Email monitoring and/or blocking software may be used and email
content may be read. Merton Council may be required to disclose this email
(or any response to it) under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 unless
the information in it is covered by one of the exemptions in the Act. The
message may contain information that is confidential or sensitive; you
should handle it accordingly.
Please view the council's privacy notice at
https://www.merton.gov.uk/legal/privacy-...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

References

Visible links
1. http://www.merton.gov.uk/foi

 

Dear Sandra Vogel

Freedom of Information Act 2000 / Environmental Information Regulations
2004 Information request

 

We have now considered your information request as set out below. 

 

You asked:

 

Please list all third party providers of public facing online services on
behalf of Merton Council at the time this request is made. This includes
both providers which require members of the public to create accounts and
any which do not require this.

 

For each provider, in a separate spreadsheet column, please indicate:

 

- whether users need to create an online account

- the length of current contract

- whether the contract has been renewed and if yes how many times

 

Please visit the following links: [1]Contracts, tenders and procurement |
Merton Council ;  [2]Contracts register - Search results (due-north.com)

If the information you require is not contained within these two links,
could you please refine your request to those elements not specifically
already in the public domain.

 

For clarification : I made an earlier FOI request focused on third party
providers of online services that require the creation of an account
([3]https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www....
). This request is broader and includes any providers of online services
which do not require the creation of an account.

 

What is the process by which Merton Council assess the Terms and
Conditions of third party providers of public facing online services prior
to entering into agreements with them?

 

By enlarge, Merton use their own T&Cs and it is only in exceptional
circumstances where the Council will agree to use the terms and conditions
of a third party provider.  If third party’s terms and conditions are
being considered, a review is carried out by the South London Legal
Partnership, who are the Council’s legal advisors, to identify which areas
in the contract are not acceptable or may need to be modified.

 

What criteria are used to assess these third party providers? Examples
might be ensuring good practice, adherence to GDPR and other legal and
regulatory standards, and meeting the council’s equalities requirements. I
would like the full list of criteria used.

 

Depending on the value of the contract, Merton will use in full (above
threshold contracts), or base the suitability questions covering these
elements (below threshold contracts, where the full use of an SQ is not
permitted under the PCR 2015) on the Governments Selection Questionnaire
[4]Procurement policy note 8/16: Standard Selection Questionnaire (SQ)
template - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).  Service specific elements are also
evaluated, these are on a project-by-project basis – such as previous
experience of delivering the service in question.

 

 

Where are reports of these evaluations to be found on the council web
site? If they are not published, why not?

 

    The Council is not obliged to publish Regulation 84 reports in the
public domain. In many instances these contain commercially sensitive
information.

 

 

Which Council Officer and which Cabinet Member is ultimately responsible
for ensuring third party providers of online services meet the council’s
standards? Or is there no such responsibility for an Officer or Cabinet
Member?

 

Contract managers are responsible for ensuring the T&Cs of the contract
are adhered to.

 

If you have any queries or concerns about this please contact us.

 

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request or wish to
appeal against the decision to exempt any part of your request, you should
request an Internal Review at [5][Merton Borough Council request email] or write in to Freedom
of Information team, Merton Council, Civic Centre, Morden, SM4 5DX.

 

If you escalate to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) without
following the council’s internal review process, the ICO will refer you
back to the council to enable the correct process to be followed.

 

You can also appeal to the Information Commissioner at: Information
Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF.  Telephone:  0303 123 1113.  Website: [6]www.ico.org.uk

 

There is no charge for making an appeal.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Information Governance

Information Team

Merton Council

 

 

 

 

From: Sandra Vogel <[7][FOI #1043781 email]>
Sent on: Friday, November 3, 2023 9:46:56 AM
To: foi <[8][Merton Borough Council request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Third party providers of public
facing online services
   

 

Dear Merton Borough Council,

In a spreadsheet format (not in a PDF):

Please list all third party providers of public facing online services on
behalf of Merton Council at the time this request is made. This includes
both providers which require members of the public to create accounts and
any which do not require this.

For each provider, in a separate spreadsheet column, please indicate:

- whether users need to create an online account
- the length of current contract
- whether the contract has been renewed and if yes how many times

Yours faithfully,

Sandra Vogel

For clarification : I made an earlier FOI request focused on third party
providers of online services that require the creation of an account
([9]https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www....
 ). This request is broader and includes any providers of online services
which do not require the creation of an account.

What is the process by which Merton Council assess the Terms and
Conditions of third party providers of public facing online services prior
to entering into agreements with them?

What criteria are used to assess these third party providers? Examples
might be ensuring good practice, adherence to GDPR and other legal and
regulatory standards, and meeting the council’s equalities requirements. I
would like the full list of criteria used.

Where are reports of these evaluations to be found on the council web
site? If they are not published, why not?

Which Council Officer and which Cabinet Member is ultimately responsible
for ensuring third party providers of online services meet the council’s
standards? Or is there no such responsibility for an Officer or Cabinet
Member?

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Please help to reduce waste and do not print this message unless you
really need to.
This message, including any attached files, is intended just for the use
of the individual or organisation to whom it is addressed. Unauthorised
use (for example disclosure, storage or copying) is not permitted. If you
are not the intended recipient please destroy all copies and inform the
sender by return email. Any views or opinions expressed in email are
solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of
Merton Council. Merton Council reserves the right to monitor, record and
retain any incoming and outgoing emails for security reasons and for
monitoring internal compliance with the Merton Council policy on staff
use. Email monitoring and/or blocking software may be used and email
content may be read. Merton Council may be required to disclose this email
(or any response to it) under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 unless
the information in it is covered by one of the exemptions in the Act. The
message may contain information that is confidential or sensitive; you
should handle it accordingly.
Please view the council's privacy notice at
https://www.merton.gov.uk/legal/privacy-...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

References

Visible links
1. https://www.merton.gov.uk/business-and-c...
2. https://procontract.due-north.com/Contra...
3. https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.w...
4. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
5. mailto:[Merton Borough Council request email]
6. http://www.ico.org.uk/
7. mailto:[FOI #1043781 email]
8. mailto:[Merton Borough Council request email]
9. https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.w...

Thank you for your email message. We aim to respond to all requests under
the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information
Regulations 2004 within 20 working days. More information about the way we
deal with information requests is on our web site at
[1]www.merton.gov.uk/foi
 
Information Governance Team
London Borough of Merton.
020 8545 4634
 
 
 

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Please help to reduce waste and do not print this message unless you
really need to.
This message, including any attached files, is intended just for the use
of the individual or organisation to whom it is addressed. Unauthorised
use (for example disclosure, storage or copying) is not permitted. If you
are not the intended recipient please destroy all copies and inform the
sender by return email. Any views or opinions expressed in email are
solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of
Merton Council. Merton Council reserves the right to monitor, record and
retain any incoming and outgoing emails for security reasons and for
monitoring internal compliance with the Merton Council policy on staff
use. Email monitoring and/or blocking software may be used and email
content may be read. Merton Council may be required to disclose this email
(or any response to it) under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 unless
the information in it is covered by one of the exemptions in the Act. The
message may contain information that is confidential or sensitive; you
should handle it accordingly.
Please view the council's privacy notice at
https://www.merton.gov.uk/legal/privacy-...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

References

Visible links
1. http://www.merton.gov.uk/foi

Dear Sandra Vogel,

Thank you for your email. I have tested both links provided in the response and they appear to be working.

I have copied them again below in case there was a technical issue.

https://www.merton.gov.uk/business-and-c...

https://procontract.due-north.com/Contra...

Kind regards

Michael Cook

Michael Cook
Information Governance Officer
Information Governance Team
Merton Council
www.merton.gov.uk

show quoted sections