Connect Villages Scheme

Summary

A request was made to the Department of Infrastructure regarding the procurement process and fees for Grant Thornton's consultancy on the Connect Villages Scheme. The department responded that it does not hold the requested information, as the contract procurement was conducted by the Office of Fair Trading.

Key Facts

• The Department of Infrastructure does not hold the information requested.
• The procurement of the Grant Thornton contract was conducted by the Office of Fair Trading.
• The request concerned the 'Connect Villages Scheme' and a minibus service inquiry.
• The request was received on 17 March 2022 and responded to on 18 March 2022.
• The requester was informed of their right to an internal review or appeal to the Information Commissioner.

Data Disclosed

• 2336809
• 2022-03-17
• 2022-03-18
• IM1 2RF
• (01624) 686785

Original Request

i. Confirmation as to whether or not the Auditors, Grant Thornton, referred to in today's article in the Manx Independent headed "Minibus service 'does not threaten taxis', were given the contract as independent consultants to the DfT inquiry, after a competitive tender. 2. If Grant Thornton did win the competitive tender, how many other applicants were there for the contract ? 3. If Grant Thornton didn't obtain the contract after a competitive tender, why was the contract not put out to tender? 4. How much was Grant Thornton paid?

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

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

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

Our ref: 2336809 18 March 2022

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 17 March 2022 and which states:

"i. Confirmation as to whether or not the Auditors, Grant Thornton, referred to in today's article in the Manx Independent headed "Minibus service 'does not threaten taxis', were given the contract as independent consultants to the DfT inquiry, after a competitive tender. 2. If Grant Thornton did win the competitive tender, how many other applicants were there for the contract ? 3. If Grant Thornton didn't obtain the contract after a competitive tender, why was the contract not put out to tender? 4. How much was Grant Thornton paid?"

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Department of Infrastructure does not hold the information that you have requested. The information requested may be held by the Office of Fair Trading as the procurement of the contract was conducted by them.

Please quote the reference number 2336809 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.