How much money was spent to build the new public school? How did the government select the winning bid and company? Did that company actually deliver according to the contract? To answer these questions, citizens need access to information about the full public contracting process. Hivos and ARTICLE 19’s Open Up Contracting programme aims to foster more efficient, transparent and accountable contracting processes by working through and with civic society partners in seven countries throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America. Read more...

Public contracting is a process by which governments spend taxpayer money on contracts with private companies to provide public goods and services to its citizens and key infrastructure for the economy. It is essential for delivering goods and services we all care about, including: good public education, quality health care, safe roads and clean drinking water. While necessary, public contracting is also highly vulnerable to bad planning, mismanagement and corruption. Staggering amounts of tax money are not used as planned and fail to deliver promised results.

Open contracting provides multiple benefits for everyone. It can save governments tax money, deliver better public goods and services to citizens, boost integrity and prevent corruption, create a good business climate and encourage fair competition, and it enables citizen engagement and public oversight in public contracting.

Hivos and ARTICLE 19  collaborate with local civil society organisations (CSOs), media, entrepreneurs and social start-ups in developing the capacities they need to analyse public contracting data and documents to support advocacy with governments. The programme is being implemented in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Indonesia, Philippines, Guatemala and Bolivia, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and partners like the Open Contracting Partnership, School of Data, the Engine Room, the Initiative for Sustainable Action, Frontline Defenders and others. Read more...