Page 54 - Procurement guidelines for smart sustainable cities - A U4SSC deliverable

The problem

Across the world, COVID-19 has brought with it not just a health emergency but a crisis of confidence
in public buying. In September 2020, Transparency International reported that 1 800 cases of
corruptionhad been reported by whistle-blowers during the pandemic.

Before COVID-19, Ecuador’s public procurement agency, SERCOP, was in the process of upgrading
its e-Procurement system to use the Open Contracting Data Standard, allowing users to disclose
data and documents at every stage of the contracting process.

The move, made in response to years of public corruption scandals, (iri Blog, 2020) would take on
a new urgency as the virus engulfed Ecuador, overwhelming the health system (BBC, 2020) and
prompting panic buying of medical supplies.

The approach

At the start of April 2020, SERCOP unveiled a public monitoring tool for emergency buying on its
e-Procurement platform. A video released via Twitter showed how to search for contracts issued
during the pandemic and the public were encouraged to become whistle-blowers, reporting cases
of wrongdoing through an online form.

Using social media also enabled users to provide feedback on the tool in real-time, identifying
areas to improve.

The move, made in response to years of public corruption scandals, would take on a new urgency

as the virus engulfed Ecuador, overwhelming the health system and prompting panic buying of
medical supplies.

40 Procurement guidelines for smart sustainable cities | May 2023