Agencia de Gobierno Electrónico y Sociedad de la Información y del Conocimiento

9 - Open Public Procurement: Evolution of the National Observatory

Brief description of the commitment: The commitment seeks to promote transparency and accountability in public procurement processes, through the restructuring and strengthening of the Public Procurement Observatory in order to improve its analytical capacity, monitoring and control, and to foster access to information and citizen participation.

Organization leading the commitment: State Procurement Regulatory Agency (ARCE)

Supporting Institutions/Organizations: The Agency for Electronic Government and the Information and Knowledge Society (Agesic) endorses Milestones 4, 5 and 6, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) endorses Milestone 4.

Person responsible for the commitment: Isis Burguez, Director. Contact: isis.burguez@arce.gub.uy

Technical head: Natalia Ferreira, Regulatory Manager. Contact: natalia.ferreira@arce.gub.uy ; Martin Chejanovieski, IT Manager. Contact: martin.chejanovieski@arce.gub.uy

Stakeholders:

1. Government: Planning and Budget Office (OPP), Agency for Electronic Government and Information and Knowledge Society (Agesic), Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining (MIEM), Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP), Internal Auditing Office of the Nation (AIN), Court of Accounts (TC) and in general all state public administrations.
2. Civil Society: Civil Society Organizations and citizens in general.
3. Other actors: Academia, International Organizations, Business and Workers' Associations, suppliers, press and researchers.

Implementation period: September 2025 - June 2029.        

Problem definition

What problem does the commitment intend to address?

Currently, the Public Procurement Observatory presents limitations in its capacity to analyze, monitor and control public procurement processes, due to deficiencies in the accessibility, quality and usefulness of the available data.

Since its creation in 2015, the Observatory has not undergone substantial transformations, which has affected its updating and adaptation to the current needs of the various actors in the public procurement system.

As a result, citizen oversight, as well as decision-making by buyers, suppliers, and policymakers, is restricted by the lack of relevant, timely, and understandable information that would allow for the effective use of the Observatory as a tool for transparency and improvement of public management.

What are the causes of the problem?

The limitations of the Observatory are mainly due to the technological obsolescence of the platform, the lack of adaptation to good visualization and accessibility practices, and the lack of complete and sufficiently disaggregated data that cover the entire public procurement cycle.

Description of the commitment

What has been done so far to solve the problem?

In 2017, complementing the implementation of the Observatory published in 2015, the Open Contracting data standard was adopted as part of the commitments made in the 3rd National Open Government Action Plan, period 2016-2018, with the aim of increasing transparency in public procurement and allowing a deeper analysis of data (standardized and reusable), both in the publication of the information and in the use that the different actors of society can make of it.

Within the framework of the 5th National Open Government Action Plan, period 2021 – 2024, ARCE committed to strengthen the opening, visualization and download of public procurement data, introducing an information panel on the application of preference regimes.

Likewise, within this same framework, a public consultation was carried out through the Citizen Participation Platform along with workshops involving actors of the system (state public administrations, civil society organizations and press, among others) to generate a space for exchange and identify needs for visualization and/or downloading of information.     

What solution does it propose?

A new analytical and data visualization platform will be developed for the Public Procurement Observatory through a comprehensive redesign of its information structure. This new platform will cover the entire public procurement cycle, incorporating higher-quality data, greater level of disaggregation, and new dimensions of analysis.

The solution includes a more accessible, interactive, and efficient interface, allowing for a better experience for different user profiles—including citizens, suppliers, and public managers—facilitating analysis, monitoring, and informed decision-making.

Furthermore, it is intended to promote the customization of the user experience and the incorporation of international open data and visualization standards, with the aim of expanding the scope, transparency and impact of the Observatory as a tool for social oversight and improvement of public management.

What results do we want to achieve by implementing this commitment?

The aim is to transform the Observatory into an accessible tool adapted to the needs of diverse users, strengthening access to understandable information.

An advanced monitoring and analysis tool that improves institutional and citizen capacity to evaluate and audit public procurement processes.

To generate a more complete view of public procurement by integrating data that incorporates all stages of the cycle, from planning to contract management and monitoring, thereby strengthening transparency and accountability.

Commitment analysis

How will the commitment promote transparency?

The commitment will facilitate access to open data, visualizations, and downloads of information on public procurement, strengthening the availability and timely access to public information on the subject and strengthening the tools for the proactive disclosure of information of public interest.

How will the commitment help foster accountability?

By making available to the public a new analytical platform that improves the quality of information by covering the entire public procurement cycle, the enabling conditions for the exercise of social control and accountability will be strengthened by providing more comprehensive and relevant access to available data and resources.

How will the commitment improve citizen participation in defining, implementing, and monitoring solutions? 

Facilitating access to a tool with a wider range of information.