I’m requesting the following information regarding all tenders and contracts relating to the planned procurement for Local Government Reorganisation mentioned in this meeting report.
Contract/ Tender:
– Title
Professional advisory and support services to Devon County Council.
– Award date
3rd March 2025
– End date
31st March 2026
– (if Tender) Published date
N/A
– Supplier Information
The supplier’s name is Capital Counsel Ltd t/a Future Local
– Value
Please see the table below.
| Area of Support | Investment (£) |
| Phase 1: advisory services to assist in development and submission of LGR proposal | 141, 000.00 |
| Phase 2: Specialist political, strategic, engagement and communications advisory support to assist DCC during statutory LGR consultation period and in the preparation of it’s formal consultation response. | Please see note below. |
| TOTAL | 162,600 + VAT |
Note
Please note that this information is exempt from disclosure under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Commercial Interests).
Devon County Council can confirm the requested information is held; however, its disclosure would prejudice the commercial interests of the supplier and Devon County Council.
This is because sharing this information could be used to undercut the suppliers in future competitive procedures, and could cause cartel behaviour and price fixing which would harm the Council’s ability to get best value for money in future tendering processes.
The Council has considered the public interest in releasing this information and recognises there is a public interest in openness and transparency. However, there is a stronger public interest in the Council being able to run fair and transparent competition processes and ensuring that there is fair competition in marketplaces. If suppliers have knowledge of each other’s prices they could bid narrowly underneath those prices and therefore distort genuine future competitions that are designed to best support the public purse. Protecting suppliers pricing information also guards against cartel behaviour and mitigates against risks of price fixing.
Therefore, the balance of public interest weighs in favour of withholding this information from disclosure.