Case study: Data-driven monitoring of public procurement in the Kyrgyz Republic’s Chamber of Accounts

Reformers in the Kyrgyz Republic have developed a new approach for government auditors to monitor public procurement purchases. The government has had an e-procurement system since 2014 but it was designed for procuring officers, not for the auditors who monitor the purchases. Although staff at the Chamber of Accounts have access to the system, they have often found it unreliable and difficult to use. Instead, they typically rely on paper files and other information provided by procuring entities to conduct audits.

This case study presents the new risk-based approach allows them to use open contracting data to predict which procurement transactions are most likely to be problematic. The methodology has been successfully piloted in the institution, with 50 auditors trained in using the new tools. This case study includes recommendations for the government to effectively scale up the measures, the most urgent of which is passing legislation to make collection of the data and use of the system mandatory.