Methodology for Open Contracting Scoping Studies

A scoping study or assessment aims to gauge the state of openness of public procurement processes in a certain country, understand the key capacities and interests of key procurement actors, and identify opportunities for procurement reform and the adoption of open contracting principles. As such, this methodology seeks to:

• Document current levels of openness in public contracting in targeted polities;
• Identify and assess existing systems and data sources (including non-public) within government for collecting, analyzing, and sharing procurement data;
• Map key stakeholders and their capacities and enthusiasm for advancing open contracting; and,
• Provide recommendations on realistic targets and use cases for open contracting moving forward.

The methodology is composed of 7 sections, each of which is accompanied by an Interview Guide containing pertinent questions related to each section (the annexes contain tools that will assist researchers in data collection and require completion).  These sections cover a range of issues that would provide insight into the potential for implementing open contracting intervention in a given policy.