[okfn-za] Open Contracting Standard Launched

Thu Nov 20 10:59:11 UTC 2014

Good idea and initiative.
Question: We all know that governments are there to serve the citizens of
that country, and that many/most governments act in the opposite way
because it benefits the ones at the top, the ones in power.
What is the benefit of this Open Contracting initiative to those types of
governments? Corrupt people CHOSE to be corrupt. Why will they choose to
support and follow the Open Contracting idea?

The point I'm trying to make is that it's all fantastic if good people take
action to improve the world, but in a scenario like this we need the
support of both parties. And how do you gain the support of corrupt people
and corrupt governments when the idea behind the initiative is to make it
more difficult for them to be corrupt?
I think this is a valid question.
Even if an international law is passed that makes it compulsory for
governments to operate under the Open Contracting policy, what stops
corruption from continuing on like before?

thanks
Jerome

Independent SAP Professional (Techno-Functional)
(BIG DATA ANALYTICS / BW/BI / HANA / SAP MOBILITY / PS)

Mobile:    0724615108  /  International: +27 724615108
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeromepaice

On 18 November 2014 09:51, Adi Eyal <adi at code4sa.org> wrote:

> The Open Contracting Standard was launched today. Below is the press
> release:
>
> Standard launched to ensure transparency and efficiency in contracting
>
> The world’s first Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) was launched in
> Costa Rica today (November 18th, 2014) and is set to transform the way
> governments publish contracting data. The OCDS is a product of the Open
> Contracting Partnership (OCP), developed by the World Wide Web Foundation
> through a project supported by the Omidyar Network and the World Bank. It
> will shine a light on how trillions of dollars of public money are spent,
> helping to fight corruption, improve service delivery and enhance market
> efficiency.
>
> Governments around the world spend 9.5 trillion USD each year in
> contracting but until now, the data has largely been inaccessible.
>
> The OCDS gives governments a common format and set of practical tools
> which will allow them to consistently publish contracting data openly. The
> OCDS will ensure contracting is transparent and efficient, allowing
> businesses to compete effectively creating business growth and maximising
> public engagement.
>
> Gavin Hayman, Incoming Executive Director of the OCP said: "It is time to
> end secret deals between companies and governments to make sure public
> resources are spent openly, effectively and efficiently. Having accessible,
> comparable data covering the key items of information in a deal is key to
> achieving this objective"
>
> Anne Jellema, CEO of the World Wide Web Foundation said: "Corruption adds
> an estimated $2.3 trillion to the cost of government contracts every year.
> This new standard is a big step forward in the fight to eliminate fraud and
> waste in public procurement, enabling contracts to be published online in a
> transparent, consistent and user-friendly format so that anyone can monitor
> them."
>
> As part of the announcement the Open Contracting Partnership are inviting
> governments to access the Standard and adopt the tools to ensure
> contracting is transparent and efficient, and citizens and NGOs are urged
> to monitor and analyse published data.
>
>
> --
> Adi Eyal
> Director
> Code for South Africa
> Promoting informed decision-making
>
> phone: +27 78 014 2469
> skype: adieyalcas
> linkedin: http://za.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Adi/Eyal
> web: http://www.code4sa.org
> twitter: @soapsudtycoon
>
> For more information on how to participate in the open data community in
> South Africa, go to: http://www.code4sa.org/#community
> Sign up for Naked Data, our weekly round-up of what's happening locally
> and internationally in data journalism and data visualisation. Register
> here: http://www.code4sa.org/newsletter
>
> _______________________________________________
> okfn-za mailing list
> okfn-za at lists.okfn.org
> https://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/okfn-za
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.okfn.org/mailman/options/okfn-za
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.okfn.org/pipermail/okfn-za/attachments/20141120/d43bb424/attachment-0004.html>