The Treasury has”no evidence” of the impact of publishing contract costs, as it does not routinely release such data.
The response came after a question from Ramsey MHK Lawrie Hooper, who sought clarity on the practice.
In his written answer, Treasury Minister Dr Alex Allinson explained: “The practice in the UK of publishing contract values is not routinely replicated in smaller jurisdictions in which the internal market is relatively small in comparison.”
He added that the Isle of Man’s approach aligns with other Crown Dependencies like Jersey and Guernsey.
Dr Allinson outlined potential risks of disclosure, including unintended consequences for suppliers. “A supplier may submit a very competitive price to win Government contracts,” he said, noting that lower trading risks with the Government could attract cheaper bids.
However, if other customers learned of these prices, they might “insist on either a price match or take their business elsewhere,” harming the supplier.
You can read the full response here.
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