Response 3970989

Response to request for information

Reference

3970989

Response date

23 April 2026

Request

I am writing to make a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. To make this as straightforward as possible to respond to, I have set out the request in a numbered questionnaire format below. Where a question asks for a document, please provide a copy in electronic format. Please note that this request relates specifically to the software systems used by your Regulatory/Environmental/Planning Services teams for processing applications (commonly referred to as the “back-office system”).

Section A - Current System

What is the name of the back-office software system currently used by your planning service for processing planning applications?
What version of this software is currently in use?
How is the system hosted?
- On-premise (hosted on council servers)
- Cloud-hosted by the software supplier
- Cloud-hosted by a third-party provider
- Other :
What date did the current system go live at your authority?
Which of the following services or functions use the current back-office system? Please indicate all that apply:
- Planning application processing (householder)
- Planning application processing (major)
- Planning application processing (minor / other)
- Planning enforcement
- Planning appeals
- Pre-application advice
- Planning policy / local plan monitoring
- Building control
- Land charges
- Tree preservation orders
- Listed building consents
- Conservation area consents
- Environmental health
- Licensing
- Other (please specify)

Section B - Contract and Costs

What is the start date of the current contract?
What is the end date of the current contract, excluding any extension options?
Does the contract include options to extend? If so:
- How many extension periods are available and of what duration?
- Have any extensions already been exercised? If yes please state how many and the revised end date
- What are the cost implications of each extension period? Is the extension at the same annual rate, or does the cost change?
What is the total contract value over the full contract term? Please set out costs for any extension periods separately
What is the current annual cost of the system to the authority? Please break down if possible:
- Annual licence / subscription fee
- Annual support and maintenance fee
- Annual hosting fee
- Any other recurring annual costs
Please provide a copy of the current contract between the authority and the back-office system supplier, including any schedules, service level agreements, and data processing agreements.
Please provide a copy of any variation agreements, change orders, or contract extension agreements that have been executed since the original contract was signed.

Section C - Procurement

How was the current contract procured?
- Open tender
- Restricted procedure
- Framework call-off
- Direct award
- Other
Is a procurement or contract renewal currently planned or underway? If yes please provide the expected procurement timetable if no please state when procurement is next expected
Has the authority undertaken any market testing, soft market testing, or preliminary market engagement in relation to the future procurement of planning back-office systems in the last 24 months? if yes please provide details or a copy of any published notice.

Section D - Project Delivery and Transition

Was the current back-office system delivered and go-live achieved on time against the originally agreed project timetable? if no please state how long the project was delayed beyond the original go-live date
Was it necessary to run the previous back-office system and the new system simultaneously during the transition period (parallel running)?If yes:
- How long did the parallel running period last?
- What was the additional cost of maintaining the previous system during this period?
- Were there any additional licence, hosting, or support fees payable to the previous supplier during parallel running? If so, how much?
When the authority transitioned off the previous back-office system, did the previous supplier charge any exit fees, data extraction fees, or any other costs associated with the transition away from their system? If yes
- What was the total amount charged?
- Please provide a breakdown of what the charges were for
- Were these charges set out in the original contract, or were they imposed at the point of exit?

Section E - Integration and Third-Party Access

Does the current system receive planning applications electronically from the Planning Portal via a direct feed / connector? If no please describe how Planning Portal applications are received.
Does the current system receive applications electronically from any source other than the Planning Portal? if yes please specify which sources
Has the authority received any request from a third-party submission platform to integrate with or submit applications to your back-office system in the last 12 months? If yes please provide details of the request and the authority’s response.
Has the back-office system supplier indicated any restrictions on third-party platforms integrating with or submitting data to the system? If yes please provide details or a copy of any relevant correspondence.

Section F - Performance and Issues

Please provide a list of currently open / unresolved support tickets, issues, or service requests logged with the back-office system supplier as at the date of this request. For each, please provide
- A brief description of the issue
- The date it was first reported
- The current status
- The priority or severity level assigned
How many support tickets or service requests have been logged with the back-office system supplier in the last 12 months?
Has the authority experienced any unplanned system outages or significant service disruptions in the last 12 months? If yes how many, and what was the total downtime?
Has the authority formally escalated any performance, service, or contractual issue with the back-office system supplier in the last 24 months? if yes please provide details or a copy of any relevant correspondence

Section G - Digital Planning Programme and Open Digital Planning

Is the authority a member of, or participant in, the Open Digital Planning programme? If yes please state when the authority joined and in what capacity
How much funding has the authority received from Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for digital planning programmes in total, and for each programme or grant individually? Please list each programme, the amount received, and the period it covered
For each programme or grant listed in question 28, how much of the funding has been spent to date, and on what?

Note on exemptions - I understand that some of the information requested may be subject to exemptions under the Act, in particular the commercial interests exemption under section 43(2). However, I would ask that the authority applies the public interest test to any proposed exemption, noting that there is a strong public interest in transparency around public expenditure on technology systems and the extent to which incumbent suppliers may restrict competition in the planning technology market.

Scope and cost - If any part of this request is unclear, or if you anticipate that responding would exceed the cost limit under section 12, I would be happy to discuss narrowing the scope. I would prefer to receive a partial response rather than a refusal on cost grounds.

Response