Open Contracting Innovation Challenge is being held in Moldova.
This was announced by the Ministry of Finance, noting that applications for participation in the competition are accepted until May 15, and proposals should be based on open data to help make public procurement in Moldova more transparent, efficient and fair. The competition will take place in Moldova, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Three teams from Moldova, which will reach the final of the competition, will receive $ 5,000 each and expert assistance for the development of the project. Then the jury members will determine the winning team, which will receive $ 15 thousand. In Moldova, the competition is held with the support of the Ministry of Finance in partnership with the Electronic Governance Agency. The competition is organized by the international network Open Contracting Partnership, which is engaged in public procurement reform and the discovery of data related to procurement contracts around the world. In the field of public procurement, the highest risks of corruption are associated with public finances. The Open Contracting Innovation Challenge aims to support the development of open procurement data-driven tools for more efficient, relevant and equitable use of public funds. Open data journalists, civic technology specialists, open data enthusiasts, civic activists, etc. are invited to participate in the competition. It is recommended that teams include public procurement, advocacy, technical and IT experts. If necessary, the organizers will help with the involvement of technical specialists. Participants must be willing to devote enough time and effort to projects and participate in activities for 7 months. Priority areas of the competition: procurement monitoring tools for media, journalists and NGOs; detection and prevention of fraud and corruption; simplification of marketing research and active participation of business in public procurement; support of state authorities in ensuring the ratio of price and quality in procurement; increasing the capacity of civil servants responsible for public procurement. A prerequisite is the presence of open data on public procurement in projects. It is recommended to use the portal of the Moldovan public procurement system - Mtender. Applicants can also use other sources of information to improve their projects. All teams that meet the selection criteria go to the first stage of the competition. The list of participants will be announced on May 21. At the first stage (May 21 - June 25), participants will take master classes, finalize their questionnaires and prepare short presentations of their projects. Until June 24, the 3 strongest teams of Moldova will be announced - the finalists of the Open Data Innovation Challenge. In the second stage (June 25 - September 10), the finalists will receive the help of mentors and experts. Within 3 months, teams should develop minimum viable products and start implementing the created tools. The jury members will determine the winning team from Moldova, which will receive financial assistance of $ 15,000 for the implementation of the created tools. During the implementation phase (September 10 - December 15) the winner of the competition will receive support to promote the project. // 13.05.2021 — InfoMarket
