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Mongolia

Participación y Rendición de Cuentas en las Compras Públicas (MN0050)

General

De un vistazo

Plan de ACCION: Plan de acción de Mongolia 2021-2023

Ciclo del Plan de Acción: 2021

Estatus

Instituciones

Institución líder: Ministerio de Hacienda (MoF), Su Oficina de Contratación del Estado

Institución(es) de apoyo: presupuesto general y directo, gobernadores, entidades legales estatales y locales, UIP OSC/ONG que participan en adquisiciones

Áreas de política

Acceso a la información, Anticorrupción e integridad, Contratación abierta, Datos Abiertos, Participación pública, La contratación pública

Revisión de IRM

Informe de IRM: Informe de resultados de Mongolia 2021-2023, Revisión del Plan de Acción de Mongolia 2021-2023

Primeros resultados: sin datos de IRM

Diseño i

Verificable: Sí

Relevante para los valores de OGP: Sí

Ambición (consulta: definición): Alto

Implementación i

Terminación:

Descripción

Enunciado del problema público ● Evaluación opaca de la oferta ● Percepción pública de licitación desleal ● Desigualdad en el acceso a la información entre el gobierno, la sociedad civil y los sectores privados, así como entre los grupos de población

Definición del compromiso • Se mejora el marco legal. • El sistema de contratación pública /www.tender.gov.mn/ está conectado a los sistemas de los oferentes para permitir el intercambio de información. • Se fortalece el sistema de rendición de cuentas para las compras públicas y se introduce el Indicador de Bandera Roja. • Información recopilada sobre el progreso y la ejecución del contrato de adquisición, y hecha pública de acuerdo con los estándares internacionales de Contratación Abierta. Se actualizará el sistema de contratación digital /www.tender.gov.mn/ para digitalizar los procesos de formulación y selección de ofertas y así minimizar el factor humano.

Contribución al abordaje del problema público Se mejorará la eficiencia de la inversión pública a través de la integración de las normas de equidad, transparencia y rendición de cuentas en la observancia del debido proceso y su seguimiento en las adquisiciones públicas. Los datos abiertos sobre la gestión de contratos de adquisición conducirán a la introducción de sistemas de gestión de riesgos, la toma de decisiones basadas en el conocimiento y el seguimiento público y el análisis independiente de los gastos del presupuesto público.

Relevancia para los valores de OGP • Aumentar la transparencia • Fortalecer la participación y el compromiso público • Reducir la corrupción y los conflictos de intereses

Información adicional Presupuesto: Presupuesto del Estado e inversión de organismos internacionales Coherente con: • Política de Desarrollo de Largo Plazo “Visión-2050”; • “Visión de Desarrollo Sostenible de Mongolia-2030”; • Disposición 3.1.15 del Plan de Acción del Gobierno de Mongolia 2020-2024

Definición del objetivo Reducción de los efectos adversos del factor humano en la contratación pública mediante la aplicación de tecnologías avanzadas; Los informes de seguimiento y evaluación participativos se someten a revisiones por parte de las partes interesadas y están abiertos al público.

Acciones de seguimiento: Monitoreo y evaluación continuos, información pública y actividades de comunicación.

Hitos: Fecha de inicio: Fecha de finalización: Fortalecer el entorno legal 2021.11.01 2022.09.30 Compilar y poner en funcionamiento un catálogo de datos digitales 2021.11.01 2022.06.30 Vincular los sistemas de licitadores de adquisiciones al sistema integrado KHUR, aumentar el intercambio de información, mejorar la coordinación operativa dentro del dominio del sector público 2021.11.01 2023.06.30 Recopilar información de gestión de todos y cada uno de los contratos celebrados al amparo de la Ley de Adquisiciones de Bienes, Obras, Servicios con Fondos Estatales y Locales, y ponerlos a disposición del público mediante el formato OCDS. 2021.11.01 2022.06.30 Fortalecer los sistemas de rendición de cuentas de las compras públicas, introducir el indicador BANDERA ROJA y abrirlo al público. 2022.02.01 2022.12.01 Los clientes y oferentes realizan consultas públicas mediante la realización de actividades de información y comunicación sobre los sistemas digitales de contratación y la evaluación de los avances en la supervisión y control de los mismos. 2021.11.01 2023.06.30

Resumen de estado intermedio de IRM

Revisión del plan de acción


Commitment 3. Public Engagement in Public Procurement

  • Verificable: si
  • ¿Tiene una lente de gobierno abierto? sí
  • Potencial de resultados: sustancial
  • Para obtener una descripción completa del compromiso, consulte el Compromiso 3 en Plan de acción de Mongolia 2021-2023.

    Contexto y objetivos:

    According to GAN Integrity, Mongolia’s public procurement process faces high corruption risks of bribes, irregular payments, and conflicts of interest. [ 21 ] In recent years, the Independent Authority Against Corruption, journalists, and activists have reported many breaches of public procurement rules. [ 22 ] This commitment is led by the State Procurement Agency and is the only commitment in the action plan initiated by a government agency. [ 23 ] It builds on the previous action plan, which progressed efforts to open access to online procurement data. This commitment aligns with the OGP value of transparency, as it aims to include a clause supporting open data principles in the Bill to Amend the Law on Procurement of Goods, Works and Services with State and Local Funds. It aims to fully digitize the public procurement process and introduce a new measure to limit awarding bids to companies with high corruption risks. Consistent with the value of civic participation, it includes efforts to increase citizens’ engagement in evaluating procurement bids and hence improve public oversight of the process.

    Potencial de resultados: Sustancial

    To reduce misallocation of public funds, this commitment addresses gaps in citizen oversight of the public procurement process. Prior to this commitment, the contract transparency website publicly posted tenders online, accepted online bid proposal submissions, and listed entities that won tenders and copies of contracts. [ 24 ] Some paper-based bids were submitted manually and uploaded in a scanned non-machine-readable format. The process for awarding bids did not include citizens and was not sufficiently digitized to systematically cross-check bidders against criteria like those set by the Independent Authority Against Corruption. As a result, some companies won bids for which they were ineligible. No information was available on the contract transparency website regarding contract implementation. [ 25 ]

    In order to address these issues, this commitment plans to systematize Mongolia’s public procurement process and widen opportunities for public oversight. In an interview with the IRM, the State Procurement Agency reported that it aims to stop accepting paper-based bids. With all bids available in a machine-readable format, it intends to introduce a system that automatically filters out bids using “red flag indicators” that signal noncompliance with criteria set by the Independent Authority Against Corruption. They would draw on data indicating corruption risks from government reports, beneficial ownership reports, public audits, and other data sources. This systematization of bid evaluation could help minimize misallocation of public procurement funds. Through this commitment, the State Procurement Agency also reported plans to form citizen-led groups to serve as their counterpart in evaluating procurement bids, which could improve the accountability of the procurement process (although this is not clearly delineated in the commitment text). Additionally, the commitment envisions uploading information on contract implementation to the contract transparency website, [ 26 ] in compliance with the Open Contracting Data Standard, [ 27 ] which could facilitate public and civil society monitoring of procurement projects. These measures would be supported by planned amendment of the procurement law, introducing clauses on transparency and open data principles.

    Oportunidades, desafíos y recomendaciones durante la implementación

    The positive engagement of the State Procurement Agency in the open government process offers an opportunity to ambitiously implement this commitment’s initiatives. However, the State Procurement Agency has not identified civil society partners for implementation. Additionally, it may be difficult to fully eliminate paper-based bid submissions from the public procurement process, given continued internet access gaps in Mongolia. To support this commitment’s potential on the public procurement process, the IRM recommends the following:

  • Include civil society partners in commitment planning and implementation. Build a formal partnership between the State Procurement Agency and relevant civil society organizations.
  • Engage CSOs in the citizen-led groups to evaluate procurement bids, in addition to individual citizens.
  • If paper-based submissions continue to be received, the State Procurement Agency could digitize paper-based submissions in a machine-readable open data format, rather than scanning these submissions.
  • [ 21 ] Risk & Compliance Portal, “Mongolia Corruption Report,” Integridad GAN (Mayo de 2020), https://www.ganintegrity.com/portal/country-profiles/mongolia/ .
    [ 22 ] BTI Transformation Index, “Mongolia Country Report 2022” (Bertelsmann Stiftung, 2022), https://bti-project.org/en/reports/country-report/MNG .
    [ 23 ] Undral Gombodorj (Democracy Education Center), interview by the IRM, 16 Feb. 2022.
    [ 24 ]See “ТЕНДЕРИЙН УРИЛГА ХАЙХ” [Search for Tender Invitation] (accessed Apr. 2022), https://www.tender.gov.mn/mn/index/ .
    [ 25 ] Tserensambuu Nurenzedgombo (State Procurement Agency), interview by the IRM, 10 Nov. 2021 and 22 Feb. 2022.
    [ 26 ] Nurenzedgombo, interview, 22 Feb. 2022.
    [ 27 ] Open Contracting Partnership, “Open Contracting Data Standard” (accessed Apr. 2022), https://standard.open-contracting.org/latest/en/ .

    Resumen de estado de fin de período de IRM

    Informe de resultados


    Commitment 3. Public engagement in procurement

  • Verifiable:
  • ¿Tiene una lente de gobierno abierto?
  • Potencial de resultados: Sustancial
  • Terminación: Sustancial
  • Primeros resultados: Significativo
  • Agencia ejecutora: State Procurement Agency of the Ministry of Finance

    Contexto y objetivos

    This commitment intended to digitize the public procurement process and introduce a red flag indicator to limit awarding bids to companies with high corruption risks. It also planned to raise public awareness of the online procurement system and evaluate its use in public oversight of government procurement. These efforts aimed to address the high corruption risks faced by Mongolia’s public procurement process. [ 25 ] The commitment built on the previous action plan, which progressed efforts to open access to online procurement data. Led by the State Procurement Agency, this was the only commitment in the action plan initiated by a government agency.

    Early Results: Significant

    This commitment achieved significant results on opening the public procurement process. Half of its milestones were completed, while the other half made substantial progress. It strengthened systematic publication of procurement data, which could be used to monitor any irregularities. It also improved the availability of Mongolia’s public procurement information by progressing the transition to digital bid submission and cataloging of data on tender.gov.mn. The Democracy Education Center particularly noted the State Procurement Agency’s strong leadership in the process of making procurement data accessible online, despite the issues inhibiting the overall coordination of action plan implementation. [ 26 ]

    To strengthen the legal basis for digitizing and increasing public participation in procurement, the Ministry of Finance created a government-civil society working group to review existing regulations. The working group produced an amendment proposal on the Procurement of Goods, Works, and Services with State and Local Property Funds Law, [ 27 ] which parliament approved in June 2023. [ 28 ] The amendment introduced provisions intended to reduce human error in procurement, such as a mandate to create an electronic bidder database, transparency measures in the bid selection process, prevention of conflicts of interest, and creation of working groups to evaluate government tenders. [ 29 ]

    Procurement data are made available for public access on the tender.gov.mn portal, where information of tender invitations, lists of bidders (including prohibited ones), contract winners, and delivery of contracts are published regularly. Previously, information on tenders and bidders was published on separate systems. [ 30 ] The integration means that verified bidders can now submit their bids online via the portal. The development of an electronic catalog of procurement data dating back to 2018 was also completed, although it had not been publicly launched by the end of the implementation period. [ 31 ]

    In line with IRM recommendations, the design of the portal’s user interface and experience were significantly improved. For example, when looking up an invitation to tender, users can now search by categories such as date, name of tender, portfolio manager, and category of work as specified in the amended procurement law. [ 32 ] The Open Society Forum notes that the portal also hyperlinks to procurement data in the Open Contracting Data Standard format, although many return an error message when clicked. Information on the portal saw a significant increase by the end of the implementation period. As of July 2023, over 17,000 tender invitations were published on the integrated system—constituting all government tenders carried out during the action plan implementation period. Over 286,000 tender references had been downloaded, illustrating a high level of user engagement. [ 33 ]

    The commitment also made progress on public accountability mechanisms. Its intended red flag indicator was under development by the end of the implementation period. To inform its development, during the integration of the tender and bidder systems, the State Procurement Agency collected data and solicited feedback on irregularities from bidders and citizens. [ 34 ] The agency also launched the opendata.tender.gov.mn portal to give citizens access to the application programming interface (API) of the tender.gov.mn portal, which means that tender data can now be reused for public monitoring purposes. [ 35 ] The Authority of Government Supervisory was created in early 2023 to oversee the handling of public complaints and carry out independent oversight of government budget use and public service delivery, including government contracting. The newly formed body was still in the process of developing a new draft monitoring and evaluation policy by the end of the action plan cycle. [ 36 ]

    According to the Ministry of Finance, the commitment has helped mitigate corruption risk. Digitization of the procurement process allows relevant stakeholders to check and verify information such as social insurance, court decisions, bidder certification, equipment feasibility, labor safety measures, and the bidder’s track record. [ 37 ] Public checking of bid winner documentation has also begun. As of July 2023, 1,921 out of 34,443 documents submitted by 1,891 bidders that won government contracts had passed public checking. [ 38 ] Additionally, trained procurement officers conduct public consultations via a government hotline that has amassed over 25,000 minutes of recorded phone conversations as well as over 3,800 email inquiries—indicating an institutionalized approach toward making this practice sustainable. [ 39 ] This practice allows citizens to have a direct role in ensuring that government contracts are compliant with proper procedures. Findings of any irregularities can be used to reveal potential misconduct or human errors in the public procurement process. In parallel, journalists and civil society organizations have made use of the expanded procurement information in anti-corruption efforts. For instance, the Mongolian Data Club uncovered links between suppliers and 535 public officials and politicians. [ 40 ]

    Mirando hacia el futuro

    Public procurement is vulnerable to corruption risks, especially due to bribery and payment irregularity in the awarding of government contracts. [ 41 ] While digitizing the procurement process and introducing open data standards help mitigate the risks, these efforts need to be mainstreamed across government practices. For example, the government could aim for more ambitious reform by extending the scope of transparency and public oversight to include post-tender processes such as contract delivery, payment release, and evaluation of completed work.

    The passing of the National Anti-Corruption Program in June 2023 [ 42 ] lends itself to building greater momentum toward this objective as it emphasizes the need for an anti-corruption strategy—including in public procurement—to align with international standards. [ 43 ] In their assessment of Mongolia’s public procurement systems, the Asian Development Bank noted a pressing need to update existing regulations around standard bidding documents at the central level, and regulate and monitor public procurement activities in both central and local governments. [ 44 ]

    [ 25 ] Risk & Compliance Portal, "Mongolia Corruption Report," Integridad GAN (Mayo de 2020), https://www.ganintegrity.com/portal/country-profiles/mongolia/ .
    [ 26 ] Undral, interview.
    [ 27 ] Bolorsaikhan and Nominchimeg, IRM questionnaire.
    [ 28 ] "OGP Mongolia National Action Plan Self-Assessment Report 2021–2023," Mongolia OGP National Council, 12.
    [ 29 ] "OGP Mongolia National Action Plan Self-Assessment Report 2021–2023," Mongolia OGP National Council, 12–13.
    [ 30 ] "Mongolia Action Plan 2021–2023," Mongolia OGP National Council, 31 December 2021, https://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Mongolia_Action-Plan_2021-2023_EN.pdf , 21.
    [ 31 ] "OGP Mongolia National Action Plan Self-Assessment Report 2021–2023," Mongolia OGP National Council, 13.
    [ 32 ] "Тендерийн урилга хайх," [Invitation to tender], State Procurement Agency, accessed 19 August 2023, https://www.tender.gov.mn/mn/index .
    [ 33 ] "OGP Mongolia National Action Plan Self-Assessment Report 2021–2023," Mongolia OGP National Council, 13.
    [ 34 ] Bolorsaikhan and Nominchimeg, IRM questionnaire.
    [ 35 ] See: "Using data from procurement systems for infrastructure monitoring," Open Contracting Partnership, accessed 16 October 2023, https://standard.open-contracting.org/infrastructure/latest/en/guidance/using .
    [ 36 ] "Supporting Government to Redevelop the Guideline for M&E in Public Policies," Mongolian Evaluation Association, June 2023, https://www.mongolianevaluation.mn/31/nitem .
    [ 37 ] Bolorsaikhan and Nominchimeg, IRM questionnaire.
    [ 38 ] Bolorsaikhan and Nominchimeg, IRM questionnaire.
    [ 39 ] "OGP Mongolia National Action Plan Self-Assessment Report 2021–2023," Mongolia OGP National Council, 14.
    [ 40 ] Delgermaa Boldbaatar and Erdenechimeg Dashdorj, "Digging Out Data to Shine a Light on Public Buying in Mongolia," Open Contracting Partnership, 11 October 2023, https://www.open-contracting.org/2023/10/11/digging-out-data-to-shine-a-light-on-public-buying-in-mongolia .
    [ 41 ] "Mongolia Risk Report," GAN Integrity, updated 5 November 2020, https://ganintegrity.com/country-profiles/mongolia/#public-procurement .
    [ 42 ] Purevsuren Batzaya, "Aprobado el Programa Nacional Anticorrupción", 30 de junio de 2023, https://news.mn/r/2658523 .
    [ 43 ] Bolor Lkhaajav, "What’s in Mongolia’s New Anti-Corruption Strategy?" El diplomático, 8 junio 2023, https://thediplomat.com/2023/06/whats-in-mongolias-new-anti-corruption-strategy .
    [ 44 ] "Mongolia: Strengthening of Public Procurement for Improved Project Implementation," Asian Development Bank, April 2022, https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/project-documents/49193/49193-001-tcr-en.pdf , 4.

    Compromisos

    Open Government Partnership