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The Open Contracting Playbook

Guide

By: Open Contracting Partnership

Published: 2019

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The Open Contracting Playbook

By Open Contracting Partnership

Opening up public contracting to get better reforms that stick 

Public contracting is probably the largest marketplace on earth, covering one in every three dollars spent by government; an estimated US$9.5 trillion or 15% of global GDP. It is the critical point where government budgets and public spending turn into vital goods, works, and services for citizens.

This market is on the brink of a major transformation as it moves from paper to data and from being a compliance-based chore to a digital service designed around users. Many public contracting practitioners can see the enormous potential of this market as a lever of economic and social reforms, but they don’t have the right tools to succeed — we created this playbook for them.

The Open Contracting Partnership works in over 30 countries around the world supporting systemic reforms, helping innovations jump scale and fostering a culture of openness about the policies, teams, tools, data, and results needed to power change.

This playbook distills what we have learnt from the reformers on the frontline of these changes, breaking down the different tactics or ‘plays’ they have used. It explains how openness, participation and cooperation across government, business, and civil society helped sustain reforms and deepen their impact.