Question reference: S6W-23281
- Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 28 November 2023
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Current status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 11 December 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has requested confidential commercial information from Scotland Excel in the course of 2023, and, if so, what information it has requested, for what purpose, and whether Scotland Excel complied with the request.
Answer
As part of our National Mission to reduce deaths and improve the lives of people impacted by drug use, the Scottish Government commissioned Scotland Excel, as the centre of procurement expertise in local authorities, to undertake market analysis and engagement with Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships to consider the different routes available to the Scottish Government for developing a national approach to commissioning residential drug and alcohol services.
I can confirm that the Scottish Government did not request confidential commercial information from Scotland Excel as part of this work in 2023. Any information gathered by Scotland Excel as part of this work was done with the knowledge that this would be shared with the Scottish Government in order to inform the market analysis report. As a result, information such as pricing schedules were shared with the Scottish Government in a confidential manner.