Freedom of Information: IS Contracts for Cloud Based Applications and Third Party Hosting
Date: 17 July 2024
Our ref: SIR176088/A4654599
Information Request – IS Contracts for Cloud Based Applications and Third Party Hosting
Thank you for your information request, which we received on 26 June. We have considered your request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (‘FOISA’).
Your Request
The type of contract I wish to see is below:
- Dedicated hosting- Managed environment
- Co-Location- hosting allows a business to still own their own server equipment; however, instead of storing it in their own data centre, they instead are able to store it in rented space in a colocation hosting centre.
- Cloud Hosting- Cloud hosting services provide hosting for websites on virtual servers, which pull their computing resources from extensive underlying networks of physical web servers.
Not all of these will be applicable to the organisation.
For the different types of hosting services, can you provide me with the following information:
- Type of hosting – Dedicated, Co-Location, Cloud Hosting, Other?
- Who is the supplier of the contract? If possible, can you also provide me with the name of the vendor, if applicable?
- What is the annual contract value for each contract?
- What type of cloud environment?
Private Cloud- a distinct and secure cloud-based environment in which only the specified client can operate.
Public Cloud - where cloud services are provided in a virtualized environment, constructed using pooled shared physical resources, and accessible over a public network such as the internet.
Hybrid- integrated cloud service utilising both private and public clouds to perform distinct functions within the same organisation.
- What is the original start date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract, please provide me with the start date for each contract.
- What is the actual expiry date of the contract agreement? If there are more than one contract, please provide me with the expiry date for each contract.
- When will the organisation plan to review this contract? If there are more than one contract, please provide me with the review date for each contract.
- What is the contract period in years? Please include whether the agreement has any extension periods?
- What services are provided under the contract? Please do not put hosting information such as web hosting, file storage, hosted application. The more information the better,
- Can you please provide me with the contract officer responsible for this contract? Complete contact details, if possible, name, title, contact email and number.
Our Response
| Supplier of the contract | Type of hosting
| Annual contract value
| Type of cloud environment | Original start date of the Contract agreement? | Actual expiry date of the contract agreement? | When will the organisation plan to review this contract? | Contract period in years? | What services are provided under the contract? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acquia Inc | Cloud | £18,470 | Public Cloud | 01/11/2023 | 31/10/2041 | 01/09/2024 | 1 year | SaaS - Drupal Managed Website Hosting |
| Amazon Web Services | Cloud | £120 | Public Cloud | 2017 | Monthly Subscription | Ongoing | Monthly Subscription | AWS Lightsail Website Hosting |
| Esri | Cloud | Unclear (part of wider enterprise licence agreement) | Public Cloud | 01/04/2024 | 31/03/2025 | 01/02/2025 | 1 year | ArcGIS Online Platform |
| PTFS Europe Limited | Cloud SaaS | £4,147.50 + VAT | Public Cloud | 27/10/2023 | 26/10/2024 | 01/08/2024 | 1 year | Hosted Library Mgt. System |
| Bottomline | Cloud | £4,343.88 +VAT | Public Cloud | 20/02/2024 | 19/02/2027 | 01/11/2026 | 3-year contract | PTX Payment file transmission |
| Objective | Cloud Software as a Service | £223,603 (plus 5% years 2 & 3) | Public Cloud | 01/04/2023 | 31/03/2026 | TBC | 3-year contract | Hosted electronic records and document management system |
Contract officer responsible for these contracts:
Richard Betts:
- Acquia Inc
- Amazon Web Services
- PTFS Europe Limited
Lachlan Rennick:
- Esri
Laurey Bell:
- Bottomline
Rhoda Davidson:
- Objective
Review and Appeal
I hope that this information meets your requirements, but if you are dissatisfied with how we have responded to your information request, please write to us within 40 working days explaining your concerns. You can contact us at Battleby, Redgorton, Perth, PH1 3EW or email us at [email protected]. We will carry out a review of our response and contact you with our findings within 20 working days.
If you are not satisfied following this, you can make an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner within 6 months. The Scottish Information Commissioner's website or can be contacted at:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Yours sincerely
FOI Officer,
NatureScot [email protected]
