Authors: Suzanne LaBrie, Pierre-Antoine Ferron (Open North)
Review: Open Contracting Partnership

Welcome to What is Open Procurement (G102), the Community Solutions Network Advisory Service course that introduces you to our Open Procurement framework.

Procurement is a key aspect of running communities. Governments spend 13-20% of their budgets delivering goods and services through contracts, the details of which are often inaccessible to the public. This lack of openness erodes public confidence in governance decision-making. The Open Smart City approach to public procurement fosters trust through:

a) Strengthening government transparency and accountability;
b) Increasing the quantity, quality and creativity of bids; and,
c) Supporting the interoperability of procurement practices across departments (IT, management).

So, how do you go about putting the Open Procurement framework into place? Comprised of 3 modules, What is Open Procurement (G102) will start you on your way, through increasing your awareness and understanding of:

1. The challenges and opportunities around public procurement
Inspiration: What is Open Procurement and how is it different from traditional models?

2. The steps toward engaging using open procurement
Transformation: What do I need to know to activate Open Procurement in my workplace?

3. Overview of neutral procurement assessment techniques
Application : What are the necessary steps to conduct neutral market assessments and total cost of ownership analysis?