Options relating Museums & Galleries: FOI release

Information requested

"in each of the last 3 years for which data are available, how many enterprises (regardless of size, and including sole traders) have
a) approached the Directorate, in the same way that I have, for help in getting a procurement body to provide information/answer questions about its procurement practice
and
b) in each of those 3 years, the number of procuring bodies which have responded to the Directorate with the total refusal MGS has just given?"

Response

The Single Point of Enquiry (SPoE) service is operated by the Scottish Procurement and Property Directorate with the Scottish Government. The SPoE offers an independent, impartial and confidential service for businesses which have concerns about a procurement exercise carried out by a Scottish public body. It can work with buying organisations to try to resolve concerns in an informal manner.

In the financial years 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22, including your own case, the SPoE service received eight queries from suppliers who were unhappy about the outcome of a tender exercise and requested feedback from a public body on their unsuccessful bid. There has not been an instance where a public body has refused to engage with the SPoE or supplier about the queries raised to the SPoE.

We can confirm that Museum Galleries Scotland (“MGS”) have engaged with the SPoE on your case although we note that you are not satisfied with the response you have received from MGS.

As you may be aware, the SPoE does not have formal powers to investigate concerns or change decisions made by buying organisations in relation to their procurement activities and so the service may be unable to provide closure to the satisfaction of all parties on every issue raised by an organisation or individual.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.