MPS officers recognised in BBC local radio awards' Met News

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.23.033245

I note you seek access to the following information:

The following article concerning police heroism refers to a scheme whereby Met Police contractors divert up to 1% of their contracts' value to community projects.

1. Please provide the number of contractors participating in the scheme and their names.

2. Please provide details of how those third sector organisations benefitting from the scheme are selected. Include copies of any forms applicants must complete and state the number of applications received.

3. Please provide copies of generic letters or emails sent to Met Police contractors inviting them to take part.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose some of the requested information. Some data has been withheld as it is exempt from disclosure and therefore this response serves as a Refusal Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) by virtue of the following exemptions:

Section 43(2) - Commercial Interests

Reason for decision

Section 43(2) - Commercial Interests - provides that any information is exempt if its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person.

The MPS is a public sector organisation and as such, is accountable to the public for the way in which public money is spent.

In deciding whether to claim the Commercial Interests exemption (Section 43) of the Act, I have considered whether the public interest lies in favour of releasing the information requested or whether there is sufficient reason to support withholding it. Having considered the requested information for release, I acknowledge that there is public interest inherent in transparency when a request for information has been received.

This public interest must be balanced against any identified risk. In this case, releasing the names of those participating in this scheme is part of the tendering process and would put information into the public which would otherwise be sensitive and disadvantage companies in securing the contract. As such I have found that the release of the requested information is not in the public interest. For this reason, I have refused to release the requested information.

Disclosure

Q1 - Please provide the number of contractors participating in the scheme and their names.

There are 10 suppliers that have provided funds towards the scheme.

Having located and considered the releasing the names, I am afraid that I am not required by statute to release the information requested.

Information in relation to Question 1 is exempt by virtue of Section 43 of the Act governing Commercial Interests.

Q2 - Please provide details of how those third sector organisations benefitting from the scheme are selected. Include copies of any forms applicants must complete and state the number of applications received.

At the outset of the scheme, the beneficiaries were selected by the MPS’ Crime Prevention, Inclusion and Engagement (CPIE) team. The CPIE team is now the newly formed Professionalism Business Unit. There are no forms to complete, they respond to this subject as part of their tender response.

Q3 - Please provide copies of generic letters or emails sent to Met Police contractors inviting them to take part.

Suppliers are asked as part of their tender response to state if they are willing to contribute to the programme as detailed below

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is committed to driving positive impact for the people within the communities we serve. Our fundamental objectives for making a positive impact in the lives of the residents of London are achieved through the MPS’ strategic social value and sustainability aims:

1. Help communities to recover from the impact of Covid-19
2. Tackle economic inequality by creating new businesses, new jobs and new skills
3. Ensure equality of opportunity by reducing the disability employment gap and tackling workforce inequality
4. Improve health and wellbeing and community integration
5. Fighting climate change through environmental sustainability.

The MPS has already worked with a number of suppliers to deliver tangible Social Value benefits to our chosen charities. Upon award, MPS will work with the successful supplier, to create and rollout tangible and measurable social value initiatives.
Please confirm you commit to reinvesting a percentage of the tender agreement towards social value programmes furthering MPS Social Value Objectives. Please note that this should be at no cost to the MPS.

a. When leveraging any offerings, ensure that you include your contribution percentage in your response to question QF6b.
If you decide not to engage in this programme, please provide in your response to QF6b:
b. How you will drive measurable outcomes for MPS social objectives via the award of this specific contract?
c. How the activities or programs you engage with align to the MPS’ Social Value

Aims
To confirm if you will commit to reinvesting : Yes / No
Confirm percentage of tender agreement commitment %