Request ID: FOI-3107-2223 Date published: 16 March 2023
You asked
Hello!
I hope you are having a lovely day! I was wondering if there is information regarding the Lost Property process, specifically, the duration of the NotLost contract, contract amount (annually or in total), customer guides, staff guides, or training material, and any recorded KPIs for 2022.
Thanks so much!
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-3107-2223
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 20th February 2023 asking for information about our lost property processes.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
Specifically you asked:
“I was wondering if there is information regarding the Lost Property process, specifically, the duration of the NotLost contract, contract amount (annually or in total), customer guides, staff guides, or training material, and any recorded KPIs for 2022.”
I can confirm that we hold the information you require. Your questions are answered as follows:
Question 1: The duration of the NotLost contract?
Answer: The contract is for 2 years (ending on 14th November 2023) with the potentail for two 1-year extensions.
Question 2: The contract amount?
Answer: This is shown in our published contracts register, available on our website here:
As you can see, the contract amount is shown as £250-£500k (across the entirety of the contract).
Question 3: Customer guides.
Answer: There is no “customer guide” as such. However, note that information for customers about our Lost Property processes can be found on our website here:
Answer: This information is exempt from disclosure under section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, which can apply where release of information would prejudice commercial interests. TfL has put together the staff training material with the help of our supplier, and the supplier’s screenshots and functionality feature throughout. This material was created for internal use only and was not intended for public dissemination. Both the commercial interests of TfL and the supplier would be compromised by the release of this material.
Section 43 is a ‘qualified’ exemption, meaning we have to weigh up whether the greater balance of public interest lies in releasing the information in response to your request or in applying the exemption and withholding it. We appreciate the need for openness and transparency in the operation of our business and the fact you have asked for the information is in itself an argument in favour of release. However, in this instance we believe the balance of interest favours the application of the exemption as release would compromise the commercial interests of both TfL and our supplier. There is no wider public interest in the release of the material (especially given the public-facing pages of our website reference above in answer to Question 3), and no valid reason why training material put together at the expense of TfL and our supplier should be made freely available to others.
Question 5: Any recorded KPIs for 2022.
Answer: As for previous years, this information will be published shortly in the “Lost property transparency data” section of our website here:
The information is therefore exempt from disclosure at the current time under section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act, which applies where information is intended for future publication. Again, this is a qualified exemption. With the planned publication due imminently we consider that the public interest favours the publication of this information in context and according to the pre-determined schedule.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
