Freedom of Information and Transparency The Supplier acknowledges that the Authority and Other Contracting Bodies are subject to the requirements of the FOIA and the Environmental Information Regulations and shall assist and co-operate with the Authority and the Other Contracting Bodies to enable the Authority and Other Contracting Bodies to comply with their Information disclosure obligations in relation to this Framework Agreement and any Call Off Agreements. The Supplier shall: transfer to the Authority and/or the relevant Other Contracting Bodies, as applicable, all Requests for Information that it receives as soon as practicable and in any event within two (2) Working Days of receiving a Request for Information; and provide all necessary assistance reasonably requested by the Authority and/or the Other Contracting Body to enable the Authority and/or the Other Contracting Body to respond to the Request for Information within the time for compliance set out in section 10 of the FOIA or regulation 5 of the Environmental Information Regulations. The Authority shall be responsible for determining in absolute its discretion and notwithstanding any other provision in this Framework Agreement or any other agreement whether the Commercially Sensitive Information and/or any other Information is exempt from disclosure in accordance with the provisions of the FOIA or the Environmental Information Regulations. In no event shall the Supplier respond directly to a Request for Information unless expressly authorised to do so by the Authority. The Supplier acknowledges that (notwithstanding the provisions of this Clause FW-40.) the Authority may, acting in accordance with the Ministry of Justice’s Code of Practice on the Discharge of the Functions of Public Authorities under Part 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Code”), be obliged under the FOIA, or the Environmental Information Regulations to disclose information concerning the Supplier or the Services: in certain circumstances without consulting the Supplier; or following consultation with the Supplier and having taken its views into account; provided always that where Clause FW-40.5.1 applies the Authority shall, in accordance with any recommendations of the Code, take reasonable steps, where appropriate, to give the Supplier advanced notice, or failing that, to draw the disclosure to the Supplier’s attention after any such disclosure. The Supplier acknowledges that the description of information as Commercially Sensitive Information as notified to the Authority prior to the Commencement Date is of an indicative nature only and that the Authority and Other Contracting Body may be obliged to disclose the Commercially Sensitive Information in accordance with this Clause FW-40.. Subject to any information which is exempt from disclosure under the FOIA and notwithstanding any other term of this Framework Agreement or the Call Off Agreement, the Supplier agrees that the contents of the Framework Agreement and the Call Off Agreement are not Confidential Information and the Supplier hereby gives his consent for the Authority to publish this Framework Agreement and for the Contracting Body to publish the Call Off Agreement in their entirety including from time to time agreed changes to this Framework Agreement and/or the Call Off Agreement, to the general public.
