[open-government] Open Contracting Data Standard

Tue Jan 21 11:27:45 UTC 2014

Dear all,

Apologies, in advance, for cross-posting.

Today, we are very excited to announce that the Open Contracting
Partnership will be working with the Web Foundation, thanks to the support
of Omidyar Network, in the development of an Open Contracting Data
Standard. The standard will also have sector-specific adaptations.

The standard seeks to serve as a guide for disclosure of contracting data.

The full announcement can be found below and also at:
www.bit.ly/OpenContractingData

As we embark on this work, we look forward to collaborating with many of
you, and to receiving your feedback, in order to ensure that this Open
Contracting Data Standard is as useful as can be for you and for the work
that you do.

All the best,

Felipe
[image: Open Government] *FELIPE ESTEFAN* Open Government
festefan at worldbank.org 1 (315) 420-7464
@FelipeEstefan <http://twitter.com/FelipeEstefan>

*Significant Step Forward For Global Transparency as Open Contracting
Partnership, World Wide Web Foundation, and Omidyar Network Announce
Collaboration on First-Ever ‘Open Contracting Data Standard’*

[image: logos2.png]
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<http://www.open-contracting.org/r?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.omidyar.com%2F&utm_campaign=omydiar_annouce&n=1&e=dd07b5f4ee805dadedc34b71b173b62d45e392a6&utm_source=opencontracting&utm_medium=email>.
The World Wide Web
Foundation<http://www.open-contracting.org/r?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webfoundation.org%2F&utm_campaign=omydiar_annouce&n=2&e=dd07b5f4ee805dadedc34b71b173b62d45e392a6&utm_source=opencontracting&utm_medium=email>
(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 at open-contracting.com
Gabe Trodd/Dillon Mann, World Wide Web Foundation - press at webfoundation.org
Greg Pershall, Omidyar Network - gpershall at omidyar.com

You can see this information on our website
here<http://www.open-contracting.org/significant_step_forward_for_global_transparency?e=dd07b5f4ee805dadedc34b71b173b62d45e392a6&utm_source=opencontracting&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=omydiar_annouce&n=3>

*1) Established by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the World Wide Web Foundation
(webfoundation.org
<http://www.open-contracting.org/r?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwebfoundation.org%2F&utm_campaign=omydiar_annouce&n=4&e=dd07b5f4ee805dadedc34b71b173b62d45e392a6&utm_source=opencontracting&utm_medium=email>)
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
<http://www.open-contracting.org/r?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.omidyar.com&utm_campaign=omydiar_annouce&n=5&e=dd07b5f4ee805dadedc34b71b173b62d45e392a6&utm_source=opencontracting&utm_medium=email>).
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
<http://www.open-contracting.org/?e=dd07b5f4ee805dadedc34b71b173b62d45e392a6&utm_source=opencontracting&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=omydiar_annouce&n=6>),
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. *

Open Contracting
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