Freedom of Information Compliance Consultancy

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act has had a massive effect on a wide range of public bodies.  While the deadline has come and gone there is still a significant amount of work to be done to streamline processes to more efficiently meet this regulatory requirement.  Much of the Act changes both the culture and processes of public organisations.  The Act requires that the public receive information they have requested within tight time limited periods.  Under the FOI Act the public can request information about any aspect of local, regional and national Government policies and practice, and this includes NDPBs (Non- Departmental public Bodies) and NGOs (Non-Government organisations).

Sopra Group worked with this large English Local Authority to establish an information management system that adhered to the Freedom of Information Act.  Working for the IT solutions strategy and planning department our consultants looked at the information sources the Council currently had in place and how they managed information.  In addition, they conducted an information audit and produced an overall strategy with the aim of addressing the needs of the:

• Freedom of Information Act
• e-Government
• General information management requirements.

The Local Authority chose Sopra Group because they didn't have the in-house resources available or the right sort of expertise to complete the task themselves.  They also realised they needed a consultancy team with extensive independent experience in local government, and the range of skills and resources to manage the whole implementation.

Setting this system up not only required putting processes and guidelines in place but it also required a whole mindset /cultural change.  By employing our expertise to implement the information management system the Local Authority is in an advanced stage of compliance with the new regulations and meeting all of the regulatory stages.