Bid for the Provision of Research Supporting the National Wellbeing Framework project

FOI Ref: FOI/2022/4633

You asked

Please provide a copy of the winning bid for the project working on the Provision of Research Supporting the National Wellbeing Framework.

We said

​Thank you for your enquiry.

Please see the associated downloads, containing the information requested eligible for release.

We have redacted elements of the Basis Social bid under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) to protect their commercial interests. The release of the redacted data would reveal how they arrived at the prices they charge for their services, as well as business plans and other core components of their bid. This disclosure would prejudice Basis Social's chance of success at any future procurement as competitors could repeat the same business model and reduce the price of the service to secure a win.

Additionally, disclosure would also likely cause commercial prejudice for our organisation. We would likely face disadvantage at future tendering exercises with Basis Social and other companies, as putting them at risk of commercial prejudice would leave them unwilling to work with us in the future. For similar reasons, our existing commercial relationships would also likely be prejudiced.

This exemption is subject to a public interest test. Whilst we recognise the desirability of information being freely available, we must acknowledge the importance of maintaining the trust and customer confidence of the companies with whom we work. Damage to this trust would impact our own capability to compete and negotiate in a commercial environment. This would lead to a reduction in the choice of quality services offered and also a reduction in competitive incentive amongst suppliers to offer us a good price. This would be detrimental to the preservation of public funds and the quality of service received by members of the public. Therefore, this hinderance to our capability to compete effectively in a commercial environment would directly and negatively impact the public interest. On balanace, the public interest falls in favour of withholding this information.

Personal data have also been redacted from these documents under Section 40(2) of FOIA.