Indicators to diagnose the performance of a procurement market

Who are the main suppliers of infrastructure projects? Has the proportion of direct awards in a particular agency gone down? How many contracting procedures had cost overruns? These are just some of the questions that can be answered with public procurement data.  

This guide details a list of common indicators for an initial diagnosis of the performance of a procurement market using public procurement data, providing key information on different aspects of the contracting process. The main indicators proposed describe the level of competition and the internal efficiency of the processes, and signal potential risks and areas of improvement. Having a broad understanding of the procurement market can help procuring agencies design better tenders, promote effective competition among suppliers and obtain a better value for money for the goods and services they procure. They can also be used by civil society organizations, academia or journalists interested in analyzing procurement markets. 

The indicators are grouped into three categories: competition, supplier performance and efficiency. The guide details a description of each indicator, the formula to calculate it and the data fields needed, mapped to the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS), which is a free, non-proprietary open data standard for public contracting, being implemented around the world.