Cost and tender process for new airport website

Summary

The request sought the total cost, cost breakdown, advertising revenue recipient, and tender details for the new airport.im website. The Department of Infrastructure disclosed the total cost, revenue arrangement, and bid count, but withheld the cost breakdown citing commercial sensitivity.

Key Facts

• The total cost of the airport.im website is £24,835.
• The government receives advertising revenue, with commissions paid to the advertising agent.
• The tender was conducted under the ICT Application and Development Framework.
• Two bids were received for the project.
• A detailed cost breakdown was withheld due to commercial sensitivity.

Data Disclosed

• £24,835
• 2021-09-09
• 2021-11-01
• 1986081
• Two bids
• Section 30

Exemptions Cited

• Section 30 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (Commercial sensitivity)

Original Request

Please advise how much the recently-launched airport.im website has cost to date, including a breakdown of design, hosting, copywriting fees, and any other costs Who receives advertising revenue from the site? Is it government or the private company who designed the website? Please could you also confirm whether a tender process was carried out prior to awarding the work on this website to a private firm, and if so how many bids were received.

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Department of Infrastructure Sea Terminal Building, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2RF

Contact: FOI Response Team/AR/PN Telephone: (01624) 686785 Email: dpo-doi@gov.im

Our ref: 1986081 1 November 2021

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 9 September 2021 and which states:

"1. Please advise how much the recently-launched airport.im website has cost to date, including a breakdown of design, hosting, copywriting fees, and any other costs 2. Who receives advertising revenue from the site? Is it government or the private company who designed the website? 3. Please could you also confirm whether a tender process was carried out prior to awarding the work on this website to a private firm. 4. If so how many bids were received." Our response to your request is as follows: 2. Government receives the advertising revenue with commission going to the advertising agent. 3. The Airport website tender was operated under the ICT Application and Development Framework. This framework has now been replaced by the Digital Services Framework. 4. Two bids were received. 1. We can advise that the total amount of the cost of the website is £24,835; however, the breakdown constitutes important elements of the winning tender submission and we are therefore applying an exemption under Section 30 of the Act (commercial sensitivity). As section 30 is a qualified exemption, it is subject to a public interest test which is summarised below. The public interest must be something that is of serious concern and benefit to the public at large.

Factors in favour of disclosure • Transparency of Government

Factors in favour of withholding • Loss of faith by companies and the public in the procurement process (s.30) • The process may be nullified and have to begin again, at cost to the taxpayer and the companies who have submitted applications • Reputational damage to company in respect of entrepreneurship and innovation for new business proposals
• Reputational damage to the DOI with commercial operators • Damage to relationship between DOI and winning tender company

In taking these factors into account the Department determined that the factors in favour of maintaining the exemption outweigh the factors in favour of disclosing the information.

Please quote the reference number 1986081 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact us and we will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded. If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im.

Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact us. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi. We will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely FOI Response Team