FOI/202500477735 · FOI · partially withheld
Postal Services Framework information: FOI release
Information requested
All communications including e mails between Scottish Government Procurement staff (including but not limited to all Scottish Government Procurement personnel included within enclosed communication of 3 July 2025) in relation to the decision to not progress with the contract award process for Postal Services Framework SP-19-035.
All communications including e mails between Scottish Government Procurement staff (including but not limited to all Scottish Government personnel included within communication of 3 July 2025) in relation to the Tender Outcome Report and the authorisation process.
A fully authorised copy of the Tender Outcome Report. Please note that there is no need to repeat any of the information contained within the enclosed e mail communication of 3 July 2025.
Response
I enclose a copy of the information you requested.
We do endeavour to provide all of information whenever possible. However, in this instance exemptions under section 33(1)(b) (Commercial Interests) and section 38(1)(b) (Personal Information) of FOISA apply to some of the information requested.
Disclosure of some of this information is withheld under s33(1)(b) [Commercial interest], as disclosure of it is likely to prejudice substantially the commercial interest of the bidders and the Scottish Government. As these exemptions are conditional we have applied the public interest test’ to the information. This means we have, in all circumstances of this case, considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding exemption. We recognise there is a public interest in having transparent tendering processes. On the other hand, commercially sensitive information will be made public, and it is likely to damage the commercial interests of the companies whose information is released. This, in turn, could mean that the Scottish Government may be unable to generate genuine and effective competitive tendering processes, and that, in our view, would not be in the public interest.
Finally, parts of the requested documents are also exempt from disclosure under s38 (1)(b) of the Act [Personal Information], which does not require consideration of the public interest test.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Detected exemption language
However, in this instance exemptions under section 33(1)(b) (Commercial Interests) and section 38(1)(b) (Personal Information) of FOISA apply to some of the information requested. As these exemptions are conditional we have applied the public interest test’ to the information. This means we have, in all circumstances of this case, considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding exemption.