Contracts

Summary

The Department for Enterprise responded to a request for contract details regarding QIA Services Limited, providing the redacted contract, procurement specifications, and board papers while withholding specific cost data and extensive correspondence.

Key Facts

• A copy of the contract with QIA Services Limited was provided but with cost details redacted.
• The tendering process documentation, including the specification and evaluation matrix, was released.
• Extensive email correspondence was withheld due to the disproportionate effort required to compile it.
• Personal information regarding living individuals was redacted from the released documents.
• A Visit Board Paper confirming a two-year contract extension was included in the response.

Data Disclosed

• 2025-06-10
• 2025-07-08
• 4715761
• 26
• 6
• Section 30
• Section 8 (3) (c)
• Section 25
• two years

Exemptions Cited

• Section 30: Economy and Commercial Interests (prejudice to commercial interests)
• Section 8 (3) (c): Disproportionate use of officer time and resources (substantial compilation)
• Section 25: Absolute exempt personal information

Original Request

Dear Department for Enterprise, Under the Freedom of Information Act 2015, please may you provide the following information: 1. A copy of the contract or agreement between the Department for Enterprise (or any of its agencies) and QIA Services Limited. 2. Details of the contract's value, duration, and scope of services, including any renewal terms or options. 3. Information regarding the tendering process (if applicable) for this contract, including any relevant documentation such as bids, evaluations, and the awarding decision. 4. Any correspondence or meeting notes between the Department for Enterprise (or any of its agencies) and QIA Services Limited related to this contract. If you require any further clarification or information from me to process this request, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank-you.

Data Tables (6)

Full Response Text

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Freedom of Information Co-ordinator 1st Floor, St Georges Court Upper Church Street, Douglas Isle of Man IM1 1EX

Telephone: (01624 686400) Website: https://www.iomdfenterprise.im/

Our ref: 4715761 8 July 2025

Dear ###

I write further to your request, received on 10th June 2025, which states:

"Dear Department for Enterprise,

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2015, please may you provide the following information:

1. A copy of the contract or agreement between the Department for Enterprise (or any of its agencies) and QIA Services Limited.

2. Details of the contract's value, duration, and scope of services, including any renewal terms or options.

3. Information regarding the tendering process (if applicable) for this contract, including any relevant documentation such as bids, evaluations, and the awarding decision.

4. Any correspondence or meeting notes between the Department for Enterprise (or any of its agencies) and QIA Services Limited related to this contract.

If you require any further clarification or information from me to process this request, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank-you."

Our response to your request is as follows:

Each of the above requests have been numbered sequentially. Where information has been redacted an explanation has been given in accordance with the Act.

1. A copy of the contract is attached;

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Please note that certain elements of this contract have been redacted, those relate to cost details which have been deemed to fall within a qualifies exempted section, that being Section 30, Economy and Commercial Interests , more specifically:-

(2)(b), Disclosure of the information would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the public authority holding it).

This is a qualified exemption which requires us to undertake a public interest test after the initial assessment has been carried out.

Factors in favour of disclosure:

Showing where public money is being spent, how much public money is being spent and how the supplier arrived at the process.

Factors in favour of maintaining the exemption:

The potential exists that the Department will seek to retender for these services which would likely have a negative impact on its ability to procure these services at the lowest price as competitors would know the cost previously agreed upon.

It is therefore concluded that the factors in favour of maintaining the exemption outweigh the factors in favour of disclosing the information. The release of the information requested would not be in the public interest due to the likelihood of harm to the procurement process, competition and the commercial interest of the contractor.

1. Details are included within the contract;

2. A copy of the specification that was uploaded on the Procurement Portal is attached as is the matrix which is part of the procurement process

3. Due to the nature of the services as outlined in the attached information there are a large number of emails from various officers to QIA Services Chief Operating Officer and admin team relating to tourist accommodation properties and owners. To provide copies of this would be a disproportionate use of officer time and resources which would be in contravention of Section 8 (3) (c) of the Act which states:-

(3) Nothing in this Act requires a public authority to —

(c) undertake substantial compilation or collation of information that it holds.

However, to assist you we have attached a copy of a Visit Board Paper that outlines the extension of the contract for an additional two years, along with a copy of the email to Visit Board members for their decision which clearly shows that this distribution did not include the CEO of Visit Agency due to the 3 | P a g e
potential conflict. Also included is the confirmation email to show that the Board members had all approved the extension.

Where information relates to a living individual the information has been redacted in accordance with the following exemption:

Section 25 – Absolute exempt personal information s25(b)(i)&(ii) Information about individuals is absolutely exempt under section 25 of the Act (absolutely exempt personal information). The reasons why that exemption applies are that: 1. The Department for Enterprise is satisfied that the information amounts to personal data of which you are not the data subject; and

1. The Department for Enterprise is satisfied that disclosure of the information would contravene one of the data protection principles, as set out at Article 5 of the General Data Protection Regulation, as it applies in the Isle of Man pursuant to the Data Protection (Application of GDPR) Order 2018, namely that the Department for Enterprise can only disclose the information where it would be fair, lawful and meet one of the conditions for lawful processing in Article 6, and one of the conditions in Article 9 of the GDPR handbook, and Schedule 2 of the Implementing Regulations is met and in this case, none of those conditions have been met.

Please quote the reference number 4715761 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 me and I 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; 4 | P a g e
3. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 4. 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 me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.

This response took three hours to complete.

Freedom of Information Coordinator

Tourism Accommodation Assessments - DFE/2022/001

Criteria for awarding score Score Completely fails to meet required standard or does not provide a proposal. 0 Proposal significantly fails to meet the standards required, contains significant shortcomings and/or is inconsistent with other proposals. 1 Proposal falls short of achieving expected standard in a number of identifiable respects. 2 Proposal meets the required standard in most material respects, but is lacking or inconsistent in others. 3 Proposal meets the required standard in all material respects. 4 Proposal meets the required standard in all material respects and exceeds some or all of the major requirements. 5 TENDER SPECIFIC - VALUE Max Score Value (£) Total % Contract Value from Form of Tender

Lowest value submission is awarded 50%, remaining submissions are expressed as a % of the lowest bid = ((value of lowest bid/value of other bid)*50) 50% 50 STANDARD PQQ Weighting Max Weighted Score score weighted total How satisfactory is the information on financial standing? 1 5 4 4 How satisfactory is the information on business activities and standing? 1 5 4 4 Is the insurance cover satisfactory? 1 5 4 4 Does the bidder hold a quality certificate or have a quality system? 0.5 2.5 4 2 Does the bidder have a written H&S policy or system? 0.5 2.5 4 2 Does the bidder have an EO policy? 0.5 2.5 4 2 Does the bidder hold Investors in People status? 0.5 2.5 0 0 Does the bidder have an environmental management system? 0.5 2.5 0 0 TENDER SPECIFIC QUESTIONS - QUALITY 1.0 Describe the set-up of your organisation, the resource available to deliver this contract and the methods of delivery. 15 75 3 45 2.0 Provide an explanation and any copies of any professional certifications that support your organisations experience working in the tourism sector and demonstrate your ability to deliver the contract to a high level. Please include examples of your organisations experience working with destinations or businesses. 10 50 2 20 3.0 Provide an explanation as to the experience and any copies of certification evidencing the qualifications of the Assessors to meet the requirements for this Contract. 10 50 2 20 4.0 Provide a brief outline of your organisations experience working in the tourism sector delivering quality rating and accessibility schemes. Please include and destinations or businesses your organisation has worked with in this regard. 15 75 3 45 5.0 Provide a brief outline of your organisations proposals for the accessibility rating scheme. 10 50 2 20 6.0 Provide a brief outline of how your organisation proposes to deliver the quality rating and accessibility tourist accommodation assessments. Please include timescale, resources, type of delivery (e.g., self-assessment, in-person or virtual) and the type of assessment visit (day, overnight) for each accommodation classification. 10 50 2.5 25 7.0 Provide a brief outline of your organisations proposals for the marketing schemes (Welcome/Friendly Schemes) 10 50 2 20 8.0 Provide information on the type of support your organisation will provide to the Department/Visit Agency and the type of training programmes and business support proposed to deliver to industry businesses as part of this Contract (include frequency, possible topics etc.), if any. 10 50 2.5 25 9.0 Please provide an overview of any additional schemes, accreditations or awards that your organisation will also deliver or offer as part of this contract to enhance the destinations approach to delivering and promoting an exceptional visitor experience. 10 50 4 40 10.0 The Isle of Man Government is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 http://www.gov.im/climatechange and is committed to the reduction of single use plastic. https://www.gov.im/about-the- government/departments/environment-food-and-agriculture/ecosystem-policy-and-energy/plastics/ In no more than 400 words, please identify how your Tender Response supports these commitments and provide details of your organisation’s wider policies on environmental and sustainability issues. 5 25 2 10 552.5 288 45% 45 TENDER SPECIFIC QUESTIONS - QUALITY - LOCAL ECONOMIC BENEFITS 11.0 In no more than 400 words, please identify what benefits your company would bring to the Isle of Man economy as a direct result of undertaking this contract. This may include economic contribution such as personnel, income tax, travel, bed nights or social contribution such as training and development to the wider community. 5 25 1 5 25 5 5% 5 Total 577.5 293 Total % 100% 100 Award Criteria QIA Services Ltd

SPECFICIATION
Overview

The Department appoints the Contractor to deliver an independent assessment programme for Tourist Accommodation on the Isle of Man in relation to: • Tourist Accommodation quality grading (star rating, gold and silver awards); • Tourist Accommodation Marketing Schemes (Welcome / Friendly Schemes) and
• Tourist Accommodation accessibility (to improve quality assurance for visitors with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments).

In addition, the Contractor is to provide support and expertise to the Department’s Visit Isle of Man Agency (“the Agency”) and is to deliver a suite of training and business support for industry businesses in relation to the changing tourism and hospitality trends and approaches. This is to ensure the destination offering remains relevant and continues to respond to visitor expectations whilst meeting the objectives of Action Programme 3: Visitor Accommodation Transformation in the Our Island, Our Future Visitor Economy Strategy 2022 – 2032.

Specific Legislation

The Department is responsible for policy, reregistration and rating assessment for Tourist Accommodation with full regard to the Tourist (General) Regulations 1991 (part), the Tourist (General) (Amendment) Regulations 2001/ 2002/ 2004/ 2005/ 2007, the Tourist (General) (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 or any new or amending secondary legislation (the "Specific Legislation"). Under this responsibility, the Tourist Act 1975 states the ‘Department may from time to time grade, in such manner as it thinks proper, any tourist premises.’

The Equality Act 2017 is an important piece of legislation for the tourism sector and compliance with the Equality Act 2017 is a legal obligation. Tourism businesses are currently required to submit an access statement as part of their legal registration as best practise however further development in this area is required to ensure the destination is catering for a diverse range of visitors and that this is clearly marketed using a scheme, to help visitors source suitable accommodation.

Service Requirement

The Contractor shall provide the following deliverables (as more particularly described in this Specification) as part of the Services:

A) Services relating to quality rating

The Contractor is to deliver a programme of quality rating which will consist of assessing relevant Tourist Accommodation (excluding temporary campsites) (“Quality Grading Assessment”) and awarding quality ratings to the relevant Tourist Accommodation (star ratings, gold and silver awards).

The Contractor shall undertake a Quality Grading Assessment to assess the quality level of the Tourist Accommodation in a format to be agreed with the Department and must be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Specific Legislation and as set out in this Specification.

Quality Grading Assessments must be carried out by a qualified Assessor, in person. In the event the Assessor cannot attend in person they must notify the Department and where

appropriate (based on the circumstances) the Assessor can conduct a virtual visit

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