The largest municipality in Nova Scotia is looking at improving the system it uses to handle freedom of information requests, a task that is currently managed by three people using whiteboards, spreadsheets and a reliance on personal knowledge of the requested topic.
In tender documents issued on Wednesday, the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) has asked for proposals to provide software that would better manage the city’s overburdened access to information office.
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According to the municipality, the three-person office processed 461 Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIPOP) requests in 2016 and has processed approximately 200 by July of this year.
“The volume of requests is becoming increasingly difficult to manage using manual tools such as spreadsheets and paper-based processing,” reads the tender document.
Nick Ritcey, a spokesperson for the HRM, says that the entire access to information office is looking forward to the new tool when it eventually arrives.
“It’s something that will make a significant portion of the work automated,” he said. “It’ll mean an easier job for everyone involved in the process.”
That doesn’t mean that the HRM will be switching to a digital platform for everyone anytime soon.
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Ritcey says the new software will be used for the office’s internal record keeping. Those looking to file a FOIPOP request will still have to provide a paper copy and a $5 processing fee when submitting the request by hand or by mail.
However, somewhere down the line, it may be possible to implement an online platform similar to what the province implemented earlier this year, Ritcey said.
“This is really just a first step to improving the system,” said Ritcey.
According to the tender documents, the municipality’s budget for the software is $80,000.
Bids are due Sept. 27, 2017.
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