Emergency procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic lacked transparency with insufficient data available for monitoring in many countries. Research teams analyzed over 1.35 million contracts across 12 countries and found that only 2 tagged contracts related to COVID-19 and many had delays in publication. Countries faced similar risks like uncertain prices, inexperienced suppliers, and inefficiencies. Data-driven solutions were implemented in some countries like platforms to explore contract data and identify high-risk suppliers. Advocacy efforts included presenting findings to stakeholders and capacity building.

1. How to monitor emergency procurement
with open data
Camila Salazar
Lead Data Analyst
@milamila07 @open-contracting
csalazar@open-contracting.org

2. ● Massive supply & demand shock
● Widespread use & abuse of emergency procedures
PROCUREMENT DURING COVID-19
How can we improve
efficiency, effectiveness,
fairness, integrity, and equity
of public contracting during
the emergency?

3. 1,350,000+ contracts
analyzed by research
teams in 12 countries

4. WHAT WE
LEARNED

5. NOT ENOUGH DATA AVAILABLE
➔ In seven countries emergency contracts were not being
disclosed in open data formats or information was
published only partially.
➔ Only 2 countries had a tag to identify accurately the
contracts related to the COVID-19 emergency
➔ Delays in the publication of contracts
Tag contracts, make
publication mandatory,
improve data quality,
train public officials

6. COUNTRIES FACED SIMILAR RISKS
➔ Higher and uncertain prices
for key items
➔ High use of multipurpose
suppliers
➔ Companies with no previous
experience in the public
procurement market
➔ Inefficiencies in the process
Publish item unit prices,
Publication of reference prices
Collect & publish information
about suppliers: previous
experience, business
purpose, background checks

7. DATA DRIVEN SOLUTIONS
➔ Indexing system in the Philippines to match suppliers with local
governments
➔ Interactive platform in Paraguay to explore emergency contracts,
compare historical prices and analyze information about the
awarded suppliers
➔ The team from Uruguay implemented an experiment to measure
the effect of direct civic monitoring in public procurement
➔ Colombia developed a methodology to calculate a Multipurpose
Supplier Index, which can be used to identify higher risk suppliers,
based on their historical data

8. ADVOCACY IS KEY
➔ Teams presented findings and recommendations to key
stakeholders
➔ Capacity building sessions with public officials
➔ Local media picked up on research findings
➔ Follow up research

9. Camila Salazar
Lead Data Analyst
csalazar@open-contracting.org
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