Innovative response: emergency framework agreement for agencies to procure easily during the COVID emergency, with full disclosure in OCDS format.

Colombia has issued an emergency decree about public procurement during the COVID crisis, allowing expedited procedures to procure the necessary goods and services.The National Procurement Agency Colombia Compra Eficiente (CCE) has asked all companies who can supply these critical products to register to be included in this framework agreement. CCE will verify information and accept suppliers in a framework agreement, allowing agencies from all the country to procure efficiently, and to compare online prices and characteristics.

Information from this procedure, as well as any contract awarded during the crisis, regardless of the procurement method used, will continue to be disclosed in OCDS in CCE’s webpage.

During an emergency like the COVID-19 crisis, contracting procedures must be fast and as frictionless as possible. These two characteristics trump other key objectives such as fostering competition and promoting inclusion. And large payments may be made upfront to secure supplies. While emergency procedures are needed, they must remain publicly accountable for every contract concluded and spent. Taxpayers deserve to know how their money is spent.

Agencies need ways to procure in a fast way, and must have access to a list of suppliers that are willing to sell the required goods and services. These purchases are especially prone to corruption or misuse of public funds, and thus having information available even for emergency procedures allows anyone to oversee how the government is spending money during the COVID crisis.

National Procurement Agency Colombia Compra Eficiente (CCE)
Open Contracting Partnership
Procuring agencies throughout Colombia

The list of suppliers might need to be updated frequently, demanding management resources from CCE .

OCDS information should be analyzed by control authorities and citizens; thus, analysis guidelines are provided by the Open Contracting Partnership, and should be made easily available for all in Spanish