This commission is of the view that documents submitted by firms/individuals to a public body for 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 surely help officials in deciding awarding or otherwise of projects to a firm. That is why, the disclosure of these documents is warranted by the letter and spirit of the Right of Access to Information Act 2017 to achieve the stated objectives of Act enunciated in its Preamble which are as under:
-
- Making government more accountable to citizens’;
- Greater level of participation of citizens in the affairs of the government’;
- ‘Reducing corruption and inefficiency’;
- Promoting sound economic growth’; and
- Promoting good governance and respect for human rights.