“Institutionalizing ethics through recruitment practices, compensation, and progression decisions is the first thing that we need to change.”

“Setting up open contracting practices takes time so be patient. Reach out whenever you feel stuck, the global community is just a ping away.”

“Had there been public scrutiny of budget spending on Kazakhstan’s public procurement website in 2020, many human losses would’ve been avoided.”

“Above making procurement data accessible should be grassroots citizen participation in deciding which infrastructural development is a priority”

“It’s not about the fascinating things you could do with more complex datasets; it’s about what ordinary people could do with simple data-based information.”

“Open data and government accountability can’t be sacrificed, even when radical and urgent steps are needed.”

“When you don’t know what to do, you must do the right thing. What was good for the country was that there be open data.”

“When we went to the field with information provided by the procuring entity, a lot of projects were very different to what was on paper. The utility of having standards came to the fore.”

“Changing the status quo means real action in creating an open, transparent, fair, effective, and sustainable electronic public procurement system.”

“There are no trade secrets in public contracts. Winning business through an open contracting process is not altruism, it’s good business.”

“Public procurement reform is like marathon running. It takes a lot of discipline, training, and planning. It is a life-changing accomplishment.”

“With the Open Contracting Data Standard it was like asking me to dig an Olympic pool and giving me an excavator instead of a teaspoon.”

“Our small businesses need contract and capital readiness support to ensure they can successfully bid on and win any public contract.”

“Change is coming in healthcare so that regardless of the type of insurance you have or your social class, you can get quality medications when you need them.”