This commission is of the view that documents submitted by firms/individuals to a public body for the registration in order to get contracts are public documents as these documents reveal level of competence of the firms/individuals to carry out tasks funded by the tax-payers of the country. The ‘Profile’ of an organisation may or may not indicate level of competence for the execution of projects, bidding documents along with qualification, experience and experience certificates for registration surely help officials in deciding awarding or otherwise of projects to a firm after the registration.
Public interest dictates that the certified copies of the application along with supporting documents submitted for registration to get government contracts cannot be withheld on the grounds of privacy as it this information is critical to determine the level of transparency and fairness adopted in the registration of entities as well as individuals. Therefore, none of the provisions of this Act, including Section 7 (g) can be attracted to withhold the disclosure of the requested information.
The personal/private information means CNIC details, residential addresses, telephone numbers, bank accounts/financial details and health conditions. The Respondent can withhold such information and make the rest public.