New Scotland Yard Shop contracts and data

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.22.027889

I note you seek access to the following information:

1. Can you publish a copy of your current contract with Global Marketing Group to run the shop?
2. Do you have any agreements in place with the City of London Police as the shop sells some of their branded goods? If so can you provide copies?
Since the 2018 financial year how much has the shop raised for the Metropolitan Police?

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

The copy of the contract requested in Question 1 has been redacted with the following exemption been cited:

Section 43(2) – Commercial Interests - Section 43(2) of the Act allows a public authority to withhold information if a person's commercial interests would be compromised by its release. (A 'person' may be an individual, a company, public authority itself or any other legal entity.)

Section 43(2) of the Commercial Interests - Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it).

In order for the exemption provided under Section 43(2) to be engaged in this case, the MPS must demonstrate that disclosure under the Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person. In this case, we are relying on the lower threshold of 'would be likely to'. This exemption has been applied to question 3 of your request because revealing this level of information would be likely to have a prejudicial impact upon the commercial interest of the MPS and supplier. Thus the release could influence future procurement.

Any information released under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is considered to be public disclosure as that information is also published on the MPS website and available to the general public.

I have considered the potential harm that could be caused by disclosure. In this case disclosing the unreacted copy of the contract, which would include costs and income for both GMG and MOPAC (as asked for in question 1) could result in the MPS attracting less favourable deals from companies in the future if they believe such details would be made public. Furthermore it may impact on the commercial interests of the supplier as they may be expected to provide the same product/s at similar costs to other companies.

Disclosure of the requested information would prejudice the commercial interests of the MPS because the disclosure of this information, would set a 'benchmark' which potential service providers could use to compare their proposed responses to. This would therefore have a negative impact on the competitive nature of the tendering process. There is a public interest in ensuring that companies are able to compete fairly. Disclosing the information could also provide competitors with an unfair advantage. Full disclosure would weaken the position of the MPS in a competitive environment by revealing market-sensitive information. This would have a harmful effect on future partnerships when entering into commercial activities.

Disclosure

In regards to Question 1, please find attached a redacted copy of the contract between the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and Global Marketing Group Ltd (GMG). This has been redacted with the exemption cited above. Please note this is an unsigned copy of the contract as we currently cannot readily locate the wet signed copy.

Q2 - Do you have any agreements in place with the City of London Police as the shop sells some of their branded goods? If so can you provide copies?

A. MOPAC do not have a formal agreement with CoLP. They have their own contract with Global Marketing Group and their merchandise is managed completely independently. As such it is permitted that CoLP merchandise is sold alongside MPS merchandise without an official agreement in place between the two organisations.

Q3 - Since the 2018 financial year how much has the shop raised for the Metropolitan Police?

A. Gross revenue:

2018/19 – £49,296
2019/20 – £62,229
2020/21 – £24,084
2021/22 – £24,917
2022/23 to date - £31,401