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2.4 Building trust in public procurement through civic participation builds trust in
government

There are exciting opportunities for civic participation at every stage of the public procurement
and contracting process. Thanks to the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) and the Open
Government Partnership (OGP) Participation & Co-creation Standards – which recognizes principles
of good engagement – this enables governments to engage with civil society and obtain their input
on how public funds should be spent.

This transparent, civic participation is important because it helps:

• those in civil society who are affected by government’s decisions to have a right to be involved
in the decision-making process;

• to build public trust that their contributions will genuinely and transparently influence sustainable
decisions, which recognize the needs and interests of all participants;

• to design and deliver better public services; and
• to tackle corruption.

Case study – Reducing the e-waste mountain: how to buy IT sustainably

Scottish Government

Figure 6: Reducing the e-waste mountain

E-waste is growing at an alarming rate globally. The Scottish Government has designed new
frameworks to encourage more sustainable buying.

Procurement guidelines for smart sustainable cities | May 2023 21