COVID-19 Infection Survey contract with IQVIA, 2021 to 2022

FOI Ref: FOI/2022/3727

You asked

I would like information pertaining to the contract for the Covid-19 Infection Survey between the Office for National Statistics and IQVIA Limited.

As I understand the contact was due to end on the 31 of March 2021 but was extended for 1 year with a new contract end date of 31 March 2022.

I would like to request information on the following;

• Is the contract due to be extended for a further period or under consideration to be extended between the ONS and IQVIA for the Covid-19 Infection Survey?
• A copy of the contract(s) with IQVIA for their work on the Infection survey with the contract end date of 31 March 2022.

We said

Thank you for your request.

The service provided to us by IQVIA Limited was procured under an open procurement procedure which led to a contract award to IQVIA on 11 June 2021.

A business case is currently being prepared to consider the provision of the Covid Infection Survey for 2022 to 2023.

Please see the accompanying downloads, which contains a copy of the contract with IQVIA with the contract end date of 31 March 2022, named 'CIS_IQVIA_Contract_2021-2022_Redacted.pdf'. Please also see the accompanying copy of Schedule 5 Annex 1, which accompanies the contract.

Personal data of all those external to ONS and at Senior Executive Officer (SEO) grade and below in the ONS have been redacted in line with our redaction policy under Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

Some information has also been redacted from the contract under Section 43(2) of FOIA, as the release of this information would be likely to cause commercial prejudice to IQVIA and our organisation.

Under Section 43(2), we have redacted Schedules 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 16, 17, and Annex C of Schedule 21, as this information would commercially jeopardise IQVIA by revealing how they have arrived at the prices they charge for their services. This information involves individual pricing elements, financial models and business plans, components that enable the make-up of the bid to be determined, and financial information that would affect the outcome of a re-bid or future procurement. Releasing this information to the public domain would prejudice IQVIA at any future procurement exercise. For example, competitors could repeat the same business model and reduce the price of the service to secure a win.

This information, if released, would also likely cause commercial prejudice to our organisation. We would likely face disadvantage at future tendering processes with IQVIA and other companies, as they would likely be unwilling to work with us in the future for fear that commercially damaging information could be released. For similar reasons, our existing commercial relationships would also likely be prejudiced.

This exemption is subject to a public interest test.

We recognise arguments in favour of transparency and accountability regarding the suppliers contracted with public authorities, and we have demonstrated our commitment to this interest by releasing the bulk of the contract we have with IQVIA, and also by actively publishing our Payments to suppliers over £25,000. This adheres to the inherent public interest in the spending of public money. Considering this, we do not believe there is any public interest in the commercially sensitive inner workings of our supplier.

We should also consider the public interest in our own capability to negotiate and to compete in a commercial environment. Damage to the trust and confidence of our suppliers would reduce the pool of suppliers with which we can negotiate, as suppliers would be unwilling to work with us for fear that their commercially sensitive information would be released. This would lead to a reduction in the choice of quality of 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 therefore directly and negatively impacts the public.