Freedom Of Information

GDPR, DATA PROTECTION ACT 2018, FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 – ADAVISTA CAN GUIDE YOU THROUGH IT

Freedom Of Information - Your Right To Know

WHAT IS THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT?

With all the hi-tech developments, we are living in an age where people crave information. Information is now a major business commodity. We also need to be confident that any of our information is not being mis-used.

To try to address this issue, we now have the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR for personal data and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) for non-personal data held by public authorities. Schools, hospitals, Primary Health Care Trusts, doctors, pharmacies and dentists are examples of the 100,000 approx in the United Kingdom. UK Data Protection legislation covers the whole of the UK, but Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own FOIA.

Freedom Of Information - Why Your Rights Matter

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE PRIVATE SECTOR?

It rubs off! This piece of legislation impacts on private businesses in two ways:-

If you have a contract with a public authority, your correspondence and other information may be placed in the public domain without your knowledge! The public authority does not need your permission to do this. Is the public authority itself compliant? We can advise on Best Practice when you are working with public authorities, to help you to protect some of your information.

If you are entering negotiations or the tender process with a public authority, you can USE the legislation to learn about the tender. Find out what is expected or who your competitors are. You can also obtain a copy of any existing contract – although this is best done beforehand, given the time constraints on the tender process. We can advise you on how to proceed and whether the information disclosed, should be.

IF YOU UNFORTUNATLEY DO NOT WIN A TENDERED CONTRACT?

You can ask for feedback. There is usually a stock answer of “another bidder was more cost effective” or similar. BUT we can help you to find out more.

  • Who were the other businesses ‘Invited To Tender’?
  • What was each bid worth?
  • What criteria did the Public Authority use to choose the successful bid?
Freedom Of Information

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