The creation of the first-ever “Open Contracting Data
Standard” has been announced today. The development of a common
standard for the disclosure of contracting data is a key pillar of the
work of the Open Contracting Partnership (OCP)to
promote disclosure and participation in public contracting - empowering
citizens around the world to hold their governments to account for the
estimated US $9.5 trillion they spend each year through contracts.
The
development of the Open Contracting Data Standard will come as a result
of the collaboration of the Open Contracting Partnership and the World
Wide Web Foundation (Web Foundation), supported by a grant from Omidyar Network. The Web Foundation will
spearhead the technical work and will deliver the Open Contracting Data
Standard v1.0 by the end of 2014. The Open Contracting Data Standard
will be essential to advancing the OCP’s objective of achieving a new
norm in which all public contracting is open.
This standard will be developed via an extensive
process of research, consultation, development, testing, feedback and
refinement - including with non-government actors and across multiple
sectors and countries. The project will build upon work already
undertaken by the OCP and others in this area, and will focus on both
the supply of, and demand for, open contracting data. Clear use cases
will be included, and - recognising diversity across sectors -
adaptations of the master standard tailored to sector-specific needs
will also be delivered.
The collaborative development and roll-out of an Open
Contracting Data Standard that cuts across silos and allows for
comparisons and analysis across countries, industry sectors and regions
is essential. Contracting is at the core of how governments generate
revenues and spend public resources, yet contracting information is
often unavailable for public scrutiny, and is rarely in an ‘Open Data’
format. Ultimately, the development of this standard will help to ensure
that investment deals are aligned with the public interest, that public
resources are managed effectively and that citizens receive the
services and goods they deserve, so that development benefits all.
Anne Jellema, Chief Executive Officer of the World
Wide Web Foundation, said: “Open Contracting has the potential to
enhance transparency and improve the lives of billions around the world.
Yet, in order to realise its benefits, we must have a common standard
to plan, manage and measure initiatives. We’re delighted to be working
alongside the Open Contracting Partnership on this important initiative
and grateful to Omidyar Network for their support.”
Robert Hunja, manager of the World Bank Institute’s
Open Government Practice, speaking on behalf of the Open Contracting
Partnership, added: “The Open Contracting Data Standard is a crucial
step to ensuring that public contracting is truly public and that
citizens can be active participants in the contracting processes that
impact their lives and the lives of those in their communities. The Open
Contracting Partnership is delighted to continue its history of
collaboration, by working with the Web Foundation and Omidyar Network to
advance the efforts to establish a new norm in which all contracting is
open.”
"The contribution of this effort to the Open
Government movement will be significant,” said Omidyar Network Policy
Director Martin Tisné. “Omidyar Network is proud to support the Open
Contracting Partnership and its role in enhancing transparency and
accountability around the globe."
Contacts:
Felipe Estefan, Open Contracting Partnership - partnership@open-contracting.comGabe Trodd/Dillon Mann, World Wide Web Foundation - press@webfoundation.orgGreg Pershall, Omidyar Network - gpershall@omidyar.com
1) Established by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the World Wide Web Foundation (webfoundation.org)
seeks to establish the open Web as a global public good and a basic
right, creating a world where everyone, everywhere can use the Web to
communicate, collaborate and innovate freely. This is the latest in a
series of initiatives in the Open Data arena for the World Wide Web
Foundation. In October, at the Open Government Partnership, the World
Wide Web Foundation launched the Open Data Barometer alongside the Open
Data Institute. This 77-country study considers the interlinked areas of
Open Data policy, implementation and impact to produce a country
ranking. The World Wide Web Foundation is also currently conducting the
world’s first large-scale study into Open Data in Developing Countries.
The Web Foundation has undertaken country readiness studies in Chile,
Ghana and Indonesia, and is currently conducting a feasibility study
into the establishment of an Open Data Lab in Indonesia.
2) This project is being supported by a grant from Omidyar Network (http://www.omidyar.com).
Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm dedicated to
harnessing the power of markets to create opportunity for people to
improve their lives. Established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar
and his wife Pam, the organization invests in and helps scale innovative
organizations to catalyze economic and social change. Omidyar Network
has committed more than $669 million to for-profit companies and
non-profit organizations that foster economic advancement and encourage
individual participation across multiple initiatives, including
entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, property rights, government
transparency, consumer Internet and mobile.
3) The Open Contracting Partnership (http://www.open-contracting.org),
founded in 2012, is a global collaborative effort seeking to enhance
and promote disclosure and participation in public contracting. The Open
Contracting Partnership seeks to convene leaders and innovators to
collaborate around the realization of its vision of making openness in
contract processes the new norm. The steering group currently leading
the Open Contracting Partnership is composed of the Construction Sector
Transparency Initiative (CoST), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for
Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Integrity Action, the
government of Colombia, the Philippines Government Procurement Policy
Board – Technical Support Office (GPPB-TSO), Oxfam America, Transparency
International and the World Bank Institute, where the Partnership’s
secretariat is currently hosted.
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Originally posted here by Felipe Estefan on 21 January 2014, under a CC by license.
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