Conway Street improvements (FOI)

Request

I have been watching the work undertaken to widen the pavement in Conway Street. This job has taken a great deal of time, including overtime working at weekends, and I would like to know the following:

A

What has been the overall cost?

B

How many quotes were received from private companies, and what were the sums quoted?

C

Have private companies been invited to tender for the work currently being done at Charring Cross?

Response

A 

The overall estimated cost to completion is £211,000.

B

Three private companies did quote, however, the financial information is commercially sensitive and is therefore qualified exempt under Article 33 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.

C 

Yes

Exception and justification 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).

Justification

As the exemption is a qualified exemption there is a need for the public authority to assess the public interest when making the decision as to whether the information should be released or not.

Having considered the public interest, the Scheduled Public Authority has decided to withhold the sums quoted as it is felt publication of this information would be likely to prejudice the department's ability to obtain the best value for money for similar future schemes.