§ Mr. Graham AllenTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether commissions for focus group research by Government Departments are subject to competitive tender. [78415]
§ Mr. AlexanderOverall procurement policy is a matter for the Office of Government Commerce. I can answer for the practice only in the Cabinet Office, the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) and the Central Office of Information (COI).
The rules for procuring focus group research are the same as for procuring other types of service. In the Cabinet Office, commissions estimated to cost £10,000 or more are normally subject to formal competitive tendering. Commissions estimated to cost less than £10,000 are normally awarded following receipt of competitive quotations.
The GCDA does not commission focus group research. However the COI does, not on its own behalf but on behalf of its government clients. In such cases COI asks three of its roster of suppliers (appointed competitively under EC procurement rules) to submit proposals and costs: the supplier providing the best value for money proposal is appointed. On occasion, the client requires urgent research and COI appoints the roster supplier that it considers to be the appropriate agency for the work.