Ordnance Survey – Great Britain's national mapping agency
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Dear Requester
Request for information – FOI12286
Thank you for your e-mail of 11th May 2012. Ordnance Survey does hold some of the information you have requested and we respond to each of your questions in turn.
Where the information is not held or is exempt this is detailed.
1. Please confirm if your organisation has a Preferred Supplier List/Framework Agreement for the supply of contingent labour (temporary, contract, interim) or permanent IT/ICT staff? For example, this could include positions including IT Support, Installation, Software Developers, Technical Architects etc.
Ordnance Survey holds ‘Framework Agreements’ with three suppliers who provide us with the majority of our temporary labour resources.
2. If yes, how many organisations are contracted to the Preferred Supplier List/Framework Agreement? Please provide the company names.
The names of the suppliers with whom we do the majority of our business for temporary staff are:
Carlisle Group
Lorien Resourcing and
Open Spaces
3. Please confirm if your organisation has a Preferred Supplier List/Framework Agreement for the supply of contingent labour (temporary, contract, interim) or permanent Project and Programme Management (PPM) staff? For example this could include positions including Change/Transformation Managers, Business Analysts, Commercial Managers, Project Support Officers etc.
Please see our response to your question one.
4. If yes, how many organisations are contracted to the Preferred Supplier List/Framework Agreement? Please provide the company names.
Please see our response to your question two.
5. Please detail the start and end dates of the above contracts?
The start date for these contracts was 12th May 2006 and the end date is the 22nd August 2012.
6. Please detail your confirmed spend on the recruitment of IT and PPM contingent labour for the financial year 2010/11 and the most up to date spend figures for 2011/12.
Our 2010-11 spend was £8,467,698.
Our 2011-12 spend was £7,616,876.
7. Please provide a copy or, if publically available online, a link to your Corporate Plan and ICT Strategy.
Ordnance Survey confirms that it does hold an ICT Strategy which forms part of the wider Ordnance Survey Corporate Business Plan.
However, we will not be releasing this information to you as we consider it to fall within the ‘Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs’ exemption under section 36 (2) (b) and (c); and the ‘Commercial interests’ exemption under section 43 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.
We believe both exemptions apply because the release of the requested information may prejudice our ability to operate under the commercial constraints placed on us as a Government Trading Fund operating in commercially competed markets in delivering our government tasks, and in the wider commercial business arena.
The public Interest
As the requested information in your question seven has been exempted under Section 36 (2) (b) and (c) and Section 43 (2) of the FOIA, and both are qualified exemptions, we are required to undertake a public interest test.
Section 36 (2) (b) and (c)
Having sought the opinion of the qualified person, we consider that in this instance there could be general public interest in the disclosure of this information as greater transparency makes Government more accountable.
However, detailed public knowledge of our Corporate Business Plan, which includes information contained in briefings to Ministers, may inhibit the provision of free and frank advice and exchange of views with Ministers for the purpose of deliberation, especially given that the plan includes information on matters which might be at an early stage of policy formulation, or prior to consultation.
By maintaining this degree of ‘confidentiality’ we are seeking to ensure that Ordnance Survey does not prejudice its ability to operate fairly and equitably, and to effectively conduct public affairs by inadvertently providing highly sensitive information, therefore meeting the public interest requirement in section 36 (2) (b) and (c) of the FOIA.
We consider the public interest in favour of disclosing this information is outweighed by the necessity for Government to be able to effectively conduct such public affairs and it is our view this information should not be released.
Section 43 (2)
There is a public interest in making commercial information available to ensure that that there is transparency in the accountability of public funds and other activities. This includes those related to commercial and governance activities.
We have considered the significant risk of prejudice against Ordnance Survey from releasing the Corporate Business Plan which relates to Ordnance Survey’s activity in the commercial geographic information sector.
The release of information relating to the commercial activity of Ordnance Survey may provide the private sector with an insight into both production and the internal management of our affairs, undermining our ability to operate effectively as a government Trading Fund.
Furthermore, to release information within our Corporate Business plan, for example our funding, would potentially allow competitors to significantly undermine Ordnance Surveys’ ability to raise the revenue it is required by Government to rely on to maintain its governmental task, given that Ordnance Survey receives no direct funding from Parliament: therefore being prejudicial to our commercial interest.
Consequently the public interest is best served by withholding the information under this exemption, to ensure the commercial interests of Ordnance Survey are not undermined.
8. Please provide an Organisational Chart (or Charts if broken down by department) showing your organisational structure.
This information is exempt under Section 21 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act ‘Information accessible to applicant by other means’. This is because we already make this information available at the following link under our Publication Scheme:
9. Please provide the following details for the following staff including Name, Telephone Number and email address:
I detail below the names of the post holders required, as this information is already in the public domain through the publishing of the Civil Service Year book and other methods.
However, we consider the direct telephone number and direct e-mail address of each person to constitute personal data and it is therefore exempt under Section 40 (2) ‘Personal Data’. This is an absolute exemption and requires no public interest test.
a. Chief Information Officer
Mr Bob Goodrich as our Director of Information Systems would also be our Chief Information Officer.
b. Chief Technology Officer
Ordnance Survey does not hold this information because we do not have a person in a role which would equate to this position.
c. IT Director
Mr Bob Goodrich holds the position detailed above in 9a.
d. Head of Projects/Programmes
Mr Steve Railton holds a post equivalent to Head of IS projects/programmes
e. Head of Service Delivery
Mr Simon Williams
f. Commercial/Procurement Director
Mr Paul Hemsley is the Director of Finance and Corporate Service, and therefore is the Director with responsibility for Procurement.
g. Commercial/Procurement Manager
Ms Julia Painter
h. Category Lead for Contract Recruitment
Mrs Angela Morcumb
Internal Appeal (or internal review)
Your enquiry has been processed according to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000. If you are unhappy with our response, you may raise an internal appeal with our Appeals Officer at:
FOI Appeals Officer
Customer Service Centre
Ordnance Survey
Adanac Drive
SOUTHAMPTON
SO16 0AS
Please include our reference number above. The Appeals Officer will ensure that the process has been followed correctly, questioning any decisions taken regarding this response and handling of the request.
Appeal to Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
If following the outcome of our internal appeal (or internal review) you remain unhappy with our response, you may raise an appeal to the Information Commissioner’s Office at:
The Case Reception Unit
Customer Service Team
The Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
E-mail: mail@ico.gsi.gov.uk
Telephone helpline: 0303 123 1113 or 01625 545745 for advice, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
Thank you for your enquiry.
