§ 29. Mr. D. G. SOMERVILLEasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether his Department refuses to advise contractors of the result of tenders submitted; and whether, seeing that it is in the interests of the public that the information so far as it affects the amounts of the tenders and not the names of the tenderers should be made public, and that, by this practice of publicity, firms would be able to judge as to how their prices compared, he will consider a change of policy in this respect?
§ Mr. LAWSONIt is the invariable custom of the Department to advise contractors whether their tenders are accepted or declined, but I regret that I am unable to agree that it would be in the public interest to sanction a departure from the long-established practice of the War Office under which particulars of tender prices are regarded as confidential.
§ Mr. SOMERVILLEIn view of the fact that the tenders are published for all public buildings, what is the objection to publishing a list of these tenders for War Office work?
§ Mr. LAWSONThere is a considerable number of objections which have been noted from time to time, and the matter has been investigated over the course of many years. It is necessary to safeguard the Department making contracts against arrangements for the making of rings, which the publication of the prices would facilitate.