Section 94 General exemptions from duties to publish or disclose informationI1I2C1
United Kingdom
A contracting authority is not required to publish or otherwise disclose information under this Act if the authority is satisfied that—
withholding the information from publication or other disclosure is necessary for the purpose of safeguarding national security, or
the information is sensitive commercial information and there is an overriding public interest in its being withheld from publication or other disclosure.
“Sensitive commercial information” is information which—
constitutes a trade secret, or
would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of any person if it were published or otherwise disclosed.
If a contracting authority withholds information under this section, the authority must publish or notify anyone to whom the information would otherwise be provided of—
the fact that information is being withheld, and
whether it is being withheld under subsection (1)(a) or (1)(b).
A contracting authority is not required to publish or notify someone under subsection (3) if the authority is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of national security to do so.
Annotations
Modifications
- C1
S. 94 applied (24.2.2025) by S.I. 2013/1582, reg. 6(2), Sch. 2 Pt. 1 (as amended by The Procurement Act 2023 (Consequential and Other Amendments) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/163), regs. 1(2), 17 (with reg. 33))
Commencement
- I1
S. 94 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 127(2)
- I2
S. 94 in force at 24.2.2025 by S.I. 2024/716, Sch. (as amended by S.I. 2024/959, regs. 1(2), 2(7)(a))