Request for the calculations supporting the 2015 Bus Rapid Transit Indicative Business Case for Wellington City
Tony Randle made this Official Information request to Wellington Regional Council
The request was partially successful.
From: Tony Randle
Dear New Zealand Transport Agency,
In July 2015, I asked the Wellington City Council (WCC) for the background information and calculation information that supports the Wellington BRT Indicative Business Case (BRT IBC) (Refer: https://www.fyi.org.nz/request/3002-requ...).
I understand from the WCC response (Refer: https://www.fyi.org.nz/request/3002-requ... ) that the NZTA led the work, contracted to Price Waterhouse Cooper, on the BRT IBC options for Bus Rapid Transit along the Wellington City Growth Spine.
Based on the WCC advice that NZTA holds the information I requested, I now ask the NZTA for the background information and calculation information that supports the BRT IBC.
1) Could I please have a copy of the detailed option cost information, including how they were calculated & totalled, as published in the BRT IBC ?
2) Could I please have a copy of the detailed option benefit information, including how they were calculated & totalled, as published in the BRT IBC ?
3) Could I please have a copy of the detailed option benefit/cost ratios (BCR) information, including how they were calculated & totalled, as published in the BRT IBC ?
4) Could I please have a copy of the detailed option patronage estimate information, including how they were calculated & totalled, as published in the BRT IBC ?
5) Could I please have a copy of the detailed option Multi-Criteria Assessment estimate information, including how they were calculated & totalled, as published in the BRT IBC ?
I would note that the request cost, benefit, BCR and patronage information is published across a large number of tables in the business case. For the sake of clarity, it is the supporting detailed calculations (commonly from spreadsheets) used to create these tables that I seek. I would also note my specification of which tables are of interest is outlined the correspondence on my previous information request (Refer: my response of 3 September 2015: https://www.fyi.org.nz/request/3002-requ... )
I am happy to liaise if further clarification is required.
If this information is held in electronic form, I would prefer the information was provided in its original and complete electronic format. Also, I would prefer, where possible, that all correspondence on this request be via www.fyi.org.nz.
Finally, can you please acknowledge your receipt of this information request ?
Yours faithfully,
Tony Randle
From: Info@nzta.govt.nz
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From: Official Correspondence
Dear Tony
This email acknowledges your request made under the Official Information
Act 1982 for information. The NZ Transport Agency received your request on
11 September 2015.
Your request has been forwarded to the appropriate section of the
Transport Agency to respond to. They will contact you if they require
clarification of your request, more time to respond, or if your request
has been transferred to another organisation to respond to. Unless more
time is required, the Transport Agency will send a response to you within
20 working days of receiving your request.
If you would like to discuss your request with the Transport Agency,
please contact me by email to [1][email address] or by phone on
(04) 894 6153.
Regards
_________ _____________________________________________
Andrew Martin / Manager, Official Information
Official Correspondence Unit
Strategy, Communications & Performance Group
DDI 64 4 894 6153
E [2][email address] / w [3]nzta.govt.nz
National Office / Victoria Arcade, 50 Victoria Street,
Private Bag 6995, Wellington 6141, New Zealand
_________ _____________________________________________
[4]cid:image001.jpg@01CF322A.4C836B10
[5]cid:image002.jpg@01CF322A.4C836B10 [6]cid:image003.jpg@01CF322A.4C836B10 [7]cid:image004.jpg@01CF322A.4C836B10
Find the latest transport news, information, and advice on our website:
[8]www.nzta.govt.nz
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From: Official Correspondence
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OIA 2065 Tony Randle advice of transfer.pdf
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Dear Tony
Please see the attached letter advising that we have transferred your
request for information that supports the BRT IBC to the Greater
Wellington Regional Council.
Regards
Andrew
Andrew Martin / Manager, Official Information
Official Correspondence Unit
Strategy, Communications & Performance Group
DDI 64 4 894 6153
E [1][email address] / w [2]nzta.govt.nz
National Office / Victoria Arcade, 50 Victoria Street,
Private Bag 6995, Wellington 6141, New Zealand
_________ _____________________________________________
[3]cid:image001.jpg@01CF322A.4C836B10
[4]cid:image002.jpg@01CF322A.4C836B10 [5]cid:image003.jpg@01CF322A.4C836B10 [6]cid:image004.jpg@01CF322A.4C836B10
Find the latest transport news, information, and advice on our website:
[7]www.nzta.govt.nz
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1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.nzta.govt.nz/
3. http://www.nzta.govt.nz/
4. https://www.facebook.com/TransportAgency
5. https://twitter.com/nzta_news
6. http://www.youtube.com/user/NZTransportA...
7. http://www.nzta.govt.nz/
From: Monica Seevens
Wellington Regional Council
Dear Tony,
Acknowledgement of Request for Information under the Local Government
Official Information and Meetings Act 1987
Thank you for your email dated 22^nd September 2015, requesting
information regarding the bus rapid transit indicative business case for
Wellington City.
Your request is being followed-up and a reply will be sent to you shortly.
Yours sincerely,
Monica Seevens
for
Luke Troy
General Manager
Strategy
ATTENTION: This correspondence is confidential and intended for the named
recipient(s) only. If you are not the named recipient and receive this
correspondence in error, you must not copy, distribute or take any action
in reliance on it and you should delete it from your system and notify the
sender immediately. Unless otherwise stated, any views or opinions
expressed are solely those of the author, and do not represent those of
the organisation.
From: Ben Volz
Wellington Regional Council
BRT IBC Cost benefit analysis document attachment 1.pdf
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Letter of Response OIA 086.pdf
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BRT IBC Multi criteria analysis.pdf
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Dear Mr Randle
Please find attached a response to your request for information dated 11
September 2015 (transferred to GWRC on 22 September 2015),and two
attachments. Please note that if you wish to print out the attachments we
advise that you print them in A3 format.
Warm regards
Ben Volz | Democratic Services Advisor
GREATER WELLINGTON REGIONAL COUNCIL
Te Pane Matua Taiao
Shed 39, 2 Fryatt Quay, Pipitea | PO Box 11646, Manners St, Wellington
6142
T: 04 830 4212 | [1]www.gw.govt.nz
ATTENTION: This correspondence is confidential and intended for the named
recipient(s) only. If you are not the named recipient and receive this
correspondence in error, you must not copy, distribute or take any action
in reliance on it and you should delete it from your system and notify the
sender immediately. Unless otherwise stated, any views or opinions
expressed are solely those of the author, and do not represent those of
the organisation.
References
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1. http://www.gw.govt.nz/
From: Tony Randle
Dear Ben Volz,
Thank you for your response to my request for the calculations supporting the 2015 Bus Rapid Transit Indicative Business Case for Wellington City.
I must note that my request specifically stated the preference for the information be provided in its complete and original electronic format (in this case the original calculation spreadsheets). The GWRC has chosen to only provide PDF versions of the calculation spreadsheets stating "in order to protect intellectual property rights, both the cost-benefit analysis and multi-criteria analysis have been provided in pdf format". The GWRC, in providing the information in this way, has chosen to withhold the spreadsheet calculation formula used to provide the figures. Without access to the calculation formula, the logic and validity of the calculations cannot be understood.
Protection of intellectual property rights are not grounds under the LGOIMA to refuse to provide requested information. Can the GWRC please specify the specific grounds it claims under LGOIMA for the refusal to provide key requested information and not providing information in the preferred formant ?
Finally, I must note this is not the first time the GWRC has refused to provide spreadsheet calculation information and initially insisted on providing it in PDF format. Multiple past complaints to the Ombudsman have been upheld with the GWRC being forced to provide the spreadsheets as requested. To find the council repeating this essentially delaying tactic on such an important issue is very, very disappointing.
Yours sincerely,
Tony Randle
Tony Randle left an annotation ()
Note this request is based on an earlier request to the WCC here:https://www.fyi.org.nz/request/3002-requ....
The WCC advised the request for this information should be directed to NZTA who, in turn transferred the request to the GWRC. Have I been given the run-around or do they simply don't know who has the key information that supports the BRT decision they all signed up to ?
From: Margaret Meek
Wellington Regional Council
Hello Mr Randle
The calculation spreadsheets provided to you were released as PDF documents in order to protect the calculation formulas.
The formulas applied to this project were developed by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC). We consulted with PWC on the release on these formulas. As a result of this consultation, and our consideration of the public interest in this information, we concluded that the formulas should be withheld in accordance with section 7(2)(b)(ii) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (the Act) on the ground that the withholding of the formulas was necessary in order to protect information where the making available of the information would be likely unreasonably to prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied or who is the subject of the information.
I apologise that this was not specified in our original response to your request.
If you have any concerns with the decision, you have the right to request an investigation and review by the Ombudsman under section 27(3) of the Act.
Regards
Margaret Meek
Margaret Meek | Senior Democratic Services Advisor
GREATER WELLINGTON REGIONAL COUNCIL
Te Pane Matua Taiao
Shed 39, 2 Fryatt Quay, Pipitea | PO Box 11646, Manners St, Wellington 6142
T: 04 830 4192 | www.gw.govt.nz
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From: Tony Randle
Dear Margaret Meek,
Thank you for the acknowledgement that the GWRC has chosen to withhold requested information on the benefit and cost estimates for the five BRT options and clarification of the grounds claimed for this withholding of requested information.
However, I would note that the requirement by the GWRC to withhold spreadsheet formula does not mean that the released information cannot still be provided in the requested Excel format. Spreadsheet formula can be easily removed from a spreadsheet with only the "values" remaining which is something the GRWC itself has done when providing spreadsheet information for several previous information requests.
I would further note that providing the information acknowledged to be held in spreadsheet format in a non-spreadsheet format also makes any further analysis of the information provided almost impossible as conversion from PDF back into spreadsheet format is very manual, error prone and much more difficult.
So I remain unclear why the GWRC chose not to provide this information in the requested spreadsheet format (but with the formula removed) this for this request. I further believe the decision to provide requested information held in a spreadsheet in the much less accessible PDF format is still unjustified under LGOIMA for this reason.
Yours sincerely,
Tony Randle
From: Tony Randle
Dear Margaret Meek,
On the 19th of October 2015, the GWRC provided its substantive response to my official information request for the Cost benefit analysis used in support of the Wellington Bus Rapid Transit Indicative Business Case.
My request specifically stated the preference for the information be provided in its complete and original electronic format (in this case the original calculation spreadsheets). The GWRC has chosen to only provide PDF versions of the calculation spreadsheets stating "in order to protect intellectual property rights, both the cost-benefit analysis and multi-criteria analysis have been provided in pdf format".
In further correspondence on 5th of November 2015, the GWRC also stated:
“The calculation spreadsheets provided to you were released as PDF documents in order to protect the calculation formulas.
The formulas applied to this project were developed by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC). We consulted with PWC on the release on these formulas. As a result of this consultation, and our consideration of the public interest in this information, we concluded that the formulas should be withheld in accordance with section 7(2)(b)(ii) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 …”
I noted in a further reply to the GWRC that “the requirement by the GWRC to withhold spreadsheet formula does not mean that the released information cannot still be provided in the requested Excel format. Spreadsheet formula can be easily removed from a spreadsheet with only the "values" remaining which is something the GRWC itself has done when providing spreadsheet information for several previous information requests.”
If the GWRC requires that the spreadsheet formula be withheld, can I ask that the GWRC at least provide the BRT Indicative Business Case analysis models in the preferred MS Excel format with the formula removed ?
Yours sincerely,
Tony Randle
From: Margaret Meek
Wellington Regional Council
1 BRT IBC CBA v2 Values.xlsx
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2 BRT IBC MCA Values.xlsx
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Hello Mr Randle
As requested, I have attached copies of the two spreadsheets with the formulas removed.
Regards
Margaret Meek
Margaret Meek | Senior Democratic Services Advisor
GREATER WELLINGTON REGIONAL COUNCIL
Te Pane Matua Taiao
Shed 39, 2 Fryatt Quay, Pipitea | PO Box 11646, Manners St, Wellington 6142
T: 04 830 4192 | www.gw.govt.nz
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From: Tony Randle
Dear Margaret Meek,
Thank you for providing this information in the requested format.
Yours sincerely,
Tony Randle
From: Margaret Meek
Wellington Regional Council
BECA IQA Att 1 to Tony Randle.pdf
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BRTIBC Engagement Letter redacted Att 2 to Tony Randle.pdf
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Response to Tony Randle IQA and terms of engagement.pdf
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Hello Mr Randle
Please find attached information related to the Bus Rapid Transit
Indicative Business Case.
Regards
Margaret
Margaret Meek | Senior Democratic Services Advisor
GREATER WELLINGTON REGIONAL COUNCIL
Te Pane Matua Taiao
Shed 39, 2 Fryatt Quay, Pipitea| PO Box 11646, Manners St, Wellington 6142
T: 04 830 4192 | [1]www.gw.govt.nz
ATTENTION: This correspondence is confidential and intended for the named
recipient(s) only. If you are not the named recipient and receive this
correspondence in error, you must not copy, distribute or take any action
in reliance on it and you should delete it from your system and notify the
sender immediately. Unless otherwise stated, any views or opinions
expressed are solely those of the author, and do not represent those of
the organisation.
References
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1. http://www.gw.govt.nz/
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Tony Randle left an annotation ()
With the OIA transfer to the Greater Wellington Regional Council, the revised deadline for a substantive response to this request is about 20th October.
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