Open contracting is vital to modernise government, fight corruption, reform markets and foster innovation and entrepreneurship. Better, smarter and fairer government contracting – enabled by the active participation of citizens – can improve lives everywhere. Hivos and ARTICLE 19, together with The B team, CoST and the Open Contracting Partnership, are organising Open Contracting 2017, 28-29 November in Amsterdam. This meeting will bring together the global open contracting community to collectively articulate how we can take open contracting to the next level and deliver impact on the ground!

Together, we will share what’s working, what’s not and what to do about it, how to turn data into impact on people’s lives, what are the best user tools to improve procurement and how to meet user needs and build alliances. We will look at innovations in key sectors from infrastructure to health to extractives, give the stage to inspirational champions from government, business and civil society, and show examples of how they can all work together to make open contracting a success.

In the lead up to our global meeting in November, we have started a blog series that kicks off a conversation to explore successes, lessons, and gaps in government contracting innovation. Visit opencontracting2017.org to find out the latest updates and see how you can get involved!