Gardening contracts (FOI)

Request

Will you please provide me with a schedule of Monthly / Quarterly payments made to Elite Contractors for contracted work at Le Clos des Fonds, Grouville, for years 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

The contract commenced approximately 18 March 2015.

Response

The Government of Jersey can confirm that this information is held. However, this information is exempt under Article 33 (Commercial Interests) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.

Having considered the public interest, the relevant Department’s decision is to withhold the information.

Article applied

Article 33 Commercial interests

Information is qualified exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes a trade secret; or

(b) its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the scheduled public authority holding the information).

Public Interest Test

Article 33(b) allows an authority to refuse a request for information where its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the Scheduled Public Authority holding the information).

Whilst it is accepted that the public may have an interest in the contracts between the Government of Jersey and service providers, the Scheduled Public Authority believes that the contract values are commercially sensitive as they are the outcome of negotiations

between parties and that the release of this data could affect the negotiation of future contracts.

Therefore it is considered it would not be in the public interest to release this information at this time and this exemption should be maintained.