Launch event: Open Contracting Legislative Guidance

How do we legislate for open contracting?

Launch date: 14 October
Time: 9am EST

The last year has shown that public procurement is currently not fit for this purpose highlighting the urgent need for reforms. Instead of making contracts available online for anyone to vet and bid for, it’s mostly done on paper and behind closed doors. Key information like the contractor’s name, payments and the agreement’s duration and value is not easily or openly accessible in over 97% of cases around the world. This makes it almost impossible to detect waste, fraud and other abuses – and respond fast and efficiently to an emergency.

The good news is there is increasing consensus for open contracting reforms. More than 30 countries are publishing open contracting data and the UN General Assembly committed to transparency in public procurement in order to fight corruption, and the G7 have highlighted the critical role of developing a digital procurement system with end-to-end transparency and open participation at its core. 

Open, accountable, data-driven approaches to public procurement will improve every element of government spending. It’s time to take public procurement into the 21st Century. 

Our new report provides insights and guidance on how countries have cemented open contracting approaches into their legislation modernizing public procurement, supporting reforms that put transparency, efficiency and equity at its core. We’ll discuss best practices and ongoing efforts by governments and civil society to ensure public procurement delivers.

• Moderation: Elise Perry, Thomson Reuters Foundation
• Caroline Nicholas, Head, Technical Assistance Section, UNCITRAL 
• Alex Shatkovskiy, Ukraine
• Paula Díaz, Executive Director, Observatorio Fiscal, Chile
• Lamia Moubayed Bissat, President, Institute of Finance Basil Fuleihan-Ministry of Finance, Lebanon
• Lindsey Marchessault, Open Contracting Partnership

Register now.