Animal Feed Procurement Services

1. Under the Freedom of Information Act, can you please provide me with a copy of all correspondence between 02/09/2018 and 14/09/2018 (both dates inclusive) between FSS and the person or organisation who asked the questions. I do not require details of who the person/organisation is as I understand that would be commercially sensitive.
2. Please also prove all internal communications (emails, meeting notes, internal records and notes from phone calls) pertaining to these questions and the decision to change to bidding process.

Question

Can FSS please clarify how bidders are to provide a multi lot discount. We assume that potential providers will simply supply separate costing spreadsheets for individual lots and for any combinations of lots making it clear that this is the case in a covering letter.

Answer

The Purchaser has not requested variant bids as part of this tender exercise. Tenderers must complete the pricing schedule as detailed in the Invitation to Tender document and submit prices for each Lot they wish to bid for. It is up to Tenderers to make their own commercial judgement when completing the Pricing Schedules and any discounts they wish to offer

Question

Further to the related question can FSS please clarify if it is possible to offer a discount on individual lot prices for multiple lots i.e. Could a potential bidder supply a price per lot and a % reduction for award of multiple lots together. You have indicated that tenderers are to make their own commercial judgement when completing the pricing schedules and any discounts they wish to offer. Where should those discounts be recorded/explained?

Answer

As advised, the Purchaser has not requested variant bids as part of this tender exercise, therefore, any alternative prices shall not be considered as part of the commercial evaluation.

An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information) applies to a small amount of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party, ie contact details of individuals, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Chapter II of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 679/2016.  This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

Question 1)   There was no other correspondence during the period  02/09/2018 and 14/09/2018 (both dates inclusive) between FSS and any external third party, with the exception of the clarification questions raised and answered on the Public Contracts Scotland portal which Dumfries and Galloway has access to.  Please note that questions raised by potential bidders are anonymous. 

Question 2)   I enclose a copy of all of the internal communications of the information you requested.