e-government procurement observatory model, design and pilot testing
Establishing the maturity level of public procurement portals is useful, as it allows the members of any government procurement network to identify those areas for joint action and it fosters knowledge-sharing among the governments in Latin American and the Caribbean Region. In this way, it also contributes to the identification and dissemination of best practices of e-procurement systems in the region. Finally, it establishes clear reference points so that countries can orient themselves with regard to what they must accomplish to achieve a higher level of maturity of their technological capacity. The model measures two main areas, (1) legal and institutional arrangements and (2) the technical functioning of the system. These areas are separated into a number of variables that permit a mapping of the system that shows the advances achieved in each of these areas. There is a scoring system with relative weights assigned to each variable that produces a quantitative indicator about the state of progress of the system. The main objective was to design a useful tool for periodically measuring the status of government e-procurement systems in the region and to identify experiences/practices that could be shared among the Inter-American Network on Government Procurement. In developing the design, existing indicators, including those from the Multilateral Development Banks and the OECD Methodology for Assessment of National Procurement Systems, and other relevant diagnostic tools were reviewed to determine if there were any additional indicators that should be included and/or substituted. Also many contributions and feedback were gathered from the network region. The feedback played an important role in promoting ownership of the tool, as well as enabling it to benefit from the experience and knowledge of the participants. Finally, the framework was applied to 14 countries in Latin American and the Caribbean Region, several changes and adjustments to be made, providing a better fit for the model. The rank generated fit well with the previous perception and was well received by the participant countries.
observatory e-procurement measurement maturity model