Inclusive and effective public procurement: Findings and lessons from research in 12 countries

To collect evidence and practical examples on how public procurement could lead to measurable improvements in development outcomes, we launched our second Action Research project and supported researchers globally to investigate topics related to equity and effectiveness of public procurement. With support from Canada’s International Development Research Centre‘s Open Data for Development program, we awarded 12 research grants to teams to investigate public procurement in Argentina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Costa Rica, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Malawi, Nigeria, Philippines, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom.

From March to December 2021, teams analyzed ways to increase opportunities in public procurement for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), women businesses and minority groups, and how to measure the inclusiveness of contracting policies in a country. They also explored transparency issues and alternatives to promote integrity, efficiency and effectiveness in procurement. This report summarizes the main findings, recommendations, and advocacy strategies of the research projects.

The Action Research Grants were provided with support from Canada’s International Development Research Centre’s Open Data for Development program.