Make Government Procurement Process Transparent (MN0031)
Overview
At-a-Glance
Action Plan: Mongolia Action Plan 2016-2018
Action Plan Cycle: 2016
Status: Inactive
Institutions
Lead Institution: Central Government Authority
Support Institution(s): Government Procurement Agency, All ministries and agencies; World Bank, SCO and Private Sector
Policy Areas
Anti-Corruption, Anti-Corruption Institutions, E-Government, Fiscal Openness, Open Contracting and Public Procurement, Public Participation, Public Procurement, Publication of Budget/Fiscal InformationIRM Review
IRM Report: Mongolia End-of-Term Report 2016-2018, Mongolia Mid-Term Report 2016-2018
Starred: No
Early Results: Marginal
Design i
Verifiable: Yes
Relevant to OGP Values: Access to Information
Implementation i
Description
Status quo or problem addressed by the commitment: Mongolia has made significant achievements regarding making the government procurement process transparent to the public; this comes as a result of actions and initiatives spearheaded by the Ministry of Finance and Government Procurement Agency (GPA). Progressive changes were made in the Law on Purchasing and Procuring Goods and Services for Government and Local Resources in 2011 and 2014 and started using the online platform to make procurement processes transparent to the public. GPA is currently working on to create an online system to provide an opportunity for the public to receive information to support the productive engagement of this pool. The World Bank requested that the Ministry of Finance and GPA align this initiative with an International initiative on Open Contract Data Standards and that all stakeholders cooperate on this matter. Main Objective: Make government procurement processes transparent to the public Brief Description of commitment (140 character limit): Fully introduce the international initiative of Open Control Data Standards to government procurement activities
IRM Midterm Status Summary
10. Promoting transparency of public procurement process
Commitment Text:
Fully introduce the international initiative of Open Contracting Data Standards to government procurement activities.
Status quo or problem addressed:
Mongolia has made significant achievements on regard to making the government/budget procurement process transparent to the public; this comes as a result of actions and initiatives spearheaded by the Ministry of Finance and Government Procurement Agency (GPA). Progressive legal changes were made into the Law on Purchasing and Procuring Goods and Services with the State and Local Resources and Budget in 2011 and 2014. Started using an online platform to make procurement processes transparent to the public.
GPA is currently working on to reform the online system in order to make the procurement process fully open and transparent, and also to increase accessibilities for citizens to get information, and to encourage citizens’ constructive engagement and participation. The Ministry of Finance and GPA requested the World Bank to support to align their initiative on the procurement with the Open Contracting Data Standard, an international initiative for open government etc. Therefore the parties do cooperate on this matter.
Main Objective:
Make government procurement processes transparent to the public.
Milestones:
10.1. Openly disseminate invitations to participate in bidding for government procurements and inform process and outcomes of the bid through the online procurement platform.
10.2. Monitor whether rights and obligations of the ordering party are implemented by clause 46.1.9, article 46 of the Law on Purchasing and Procuring Goods and Services with Government and Local Resources.
10.3. Disclose annual procurement plans, reports and assessments of the general budget managers to the public.
Responsible institution: Central Government Authority responsible for budget and financing issues
Supporting institutions: Government Procurement Agency, all ministries, and agencies, the World Bank, CSOs, and Private Sector
Start date: 30 June 2016
End date: 30 June 2018
Context and Objectives
This commitment aims to make government procurement processes more transparent to the public by introducing the Open Contracting Partnership’s Open Contracting Data Standard.[Note98: For more information on the Open Contracting Data Standard, see: http://standard.open-contracting.org/latest/en/.] More specifically, it plans to 1) openly disseminate invitations, processes, and outcomes of bids for procurement, 2) monitor the effectiveness of Article 46.1.9, of the 2005 Law on Procurement of Goods, Works, and Services with State and Local Funds,[Note99: Law of Mongolia on Procurement of Goods , Works and Services with State and Local Funds, available here: http://crc.gov.mn/contents//en/raw/12/30/24/7._Procurement.pdf.] and 3) disclose to the public budget managers’ annual procurement plans, reports, and assessments. In doing so, the commitment continues the theme of disclosing procurement contracts that began with Commitment 3.3.1.8 from the previous action plan, which called for the disclosure of procurement contracts above 80 million MNT.
The dissemination of information on the bidding process for procurements and the disclosure of annual procurement reports and assessments make the commitment relevant to the OGP value of access to information. The commitment’s activities are mostly verifiable, although there are some important details missing in each of the milestones. For example, it is unclear how the effectiveness of Article 46.1.9 of the Law on Procurement of Goods, Works, and Services with State and Local Funds will be monitored. Therefore, the specificity is marked as medium. The open dissemination of bidding invitations and awarding of procurement and the disclosure of annual procurement plans, reports, and assessments are important initiatives toward greater transparency in government procurements. However, without greater details on how the Open Contracting Data Standard will be introduced to government procurement processes, it is likely the commitment will not have greater than a moderate potential impact on transparency in Mongolia.
Completion
The Mongolian government publishes procurement tenders, contract amounts, participating bids, and results on the e-procurement website, http://www.tender.gov.mn. However, this website already existed by the end of the previous action plan period (June 2016). The IRM asked the government to specify how the website has changed since that time, as well as the extent to which the Open Contracting Data Standard has been fully introduced. For more details, see Section VI: Methodology and Sources. According to a 2016 UN report on Mongolia’s public procurement framework, the procuring entity must post the tender invitation through nationwide daily newspapers and other forms of mass media.[Note100: United Nations, 'Review of the Public Procurement Legal Framework of Mongolia,' August 2016, http://www.un-page.org/files/public/mongolia_legalreview_final_1.pdf.] However, the extent to which these invitations, annual procurement plans, and budgets are openly disseminated to the public is unclear.
Next Steps
Going forward, the IRM recommends that the government provide an update on its progress toward implementing this commitment. If it is not fully implemented during the current action plan period, the IRM recommends incorporating this commitment into the next action plan. In particular, publishing each step of the contracting process and creating a feedback mechanism for engaging stakeholders in the planning and awarding of procurement contracts would be a major step forward for transparency in Mongolia.
IRM End of Term Status Summary
10. Promoting transparency of public procurement process
Commitment Text:
Fully introduce the international initiative of Open Contracting Data Standards to government procurement activities.
Status quo or problem addressed:
Mongolia has made significant achievements on regard to making the government/budget procurement process transparent to the public; this comes as a result of actions and initiatives spearheaded by the Ministry of Finance and Government Procurement Agency (GPA). Progressive legal changes were made into the Law on Purchasing and Procuring Goods and Services with the State and Local Resources and Budget in 2011 and 2014. Started using an online platform to make procurement processes transparent to the public.
GPA is currently working on to reform the online system in order to make the procurement process fully open and transparent, and also to increase accessibilities for citizens to get information, and to encourage citizens’ constructive engagement and participation. The Ministry of Finance and GPA requested the World Bank to support to align their initiative on the procurement with the Open Contracting Data Standard, an international initiative for open government etc. Therefore, the parties do cooperate on this matter.
Milestones:
10.1. Openly disseminate invitations to participate in bidding for government procurements and inform process and outcomes of the bid through the online procurement platform.
10.2. Monitor whether rights and obligations of the ordering party are implemented by clause 46.1.9, article 46 of the Law on Purchasing and Procuring Goods and Services with Government and Local Resources.
10.3. Disclose annual procurement plans, reports and assessments of the general budget managers to the public.
Responsible institution: Central Government Authority responsible for budget and financing issues
Supporting institutions: Government Procurement Agency, all ministries, and agencies, the World Bank, CSOs, and Private Sector
Start date: 30 June 2016
End date: 30 June 2018
Editorial Note: This is an abridged version of the commitment text. For the full commitment text from the Mongolian National Action Plan, see: https://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Mongolia-NAP2-Final-Eng_0.pdf
Commitment Aim
This commitment aimed to increase transparency of government procurement processes through stronger alignment with Open Contracting Data Standards. This includes the online dissemination of invitations to participate in bidding processes for procurements and the proactive disclosure of annual procurement reports and assessments.
Status
Midterm: Not Started
The Law on Purchasing and Procuring Goods and Services with Government and Local Resources [60] defines the state’s obligations on transparency in the procurement of goods and services.
In line with this law, the Mongolian government published procurement tenders, contract amounts, participating bids, and procurement outcomes on an e-procurement website, http://www.tender.gov.mn, prior to the introduction of this commitment. The procuring entity also posted tender invitations through nationwide daily newspapers and other forms of mass media. No progress had been made towards launching the commitment, and no additional features had been introduced to the e-procurement website (Milestone 10.1 - 10.3).
For more information, please see the IRM 2016-2017 Progress Report. [61]
End of term: Limited
Invitations to participate in bidding for government procurement and information around related processes and outcomes continued to be published through the online procurement portal (http://www.tender.gov.mn) (Milestone 10.1). Information on planning, bidding, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation was also found on http://www.shilendans.gov.mn and http://www.burtgel.gov.mn, and was supplemented by a government order to regulate such processes in a timely manner. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, and Sports announced that all their procurement would be conducted via the e-procurement system by 2018. [62]
In 2017, the Government Agency for Policy Coordination on State Property created a revamped webpage of http://www.tender.gov.mn, to publish tender open data in machine-readable format, in accordance with the Open Contracting Data Standards. [63] The portal contained a list of government procurement contracts starting from 1 January 2018, and the number of bidding announcements published had increased since the start of the action plan period. However, key information on contracts was not always available.
According to Clause 46.1.9, Article 46 of the Law on Purchasing and Procuring Goods and Services with Government and Local Resources, mandatory disclosure of the following is required of the contracted party: the works and services, their location, the price charged, and the timeline for completion. [64] Monitoring of the observance of this clause had not been published at the end of term (Milestone 10.2).
The Government Agency for Policy Coordination on State Property uploaded procurement reports and assessments online at https://www.pcsp.gov.mn/f/20 (Milestone 10.3). However, apart from the unclear functionality of the weblink, more recent reports from regional governments (aimags) and procurement reports from central government ministries and agencies were also not found.
Did It Open Government?
Access to Information: Marginal
This commitment led to increased information being provided on procurement bidding processes, with some, but not all, government agencies beginning to provide information in line with the Open Contracting Data Standard. However, as much of this disclosure predated this commitment, and new disclosure iniatitives remain limited in scope, this commitment only contributed to a marginal improvement in access to information.
Carried Forward?
The commitment is not included in Mongolia’s third action plan.
Commitments
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Transparent Procurement Process for Healthcare
MN0035, 2019, Anti-Corruption
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Digital Participation in Education Service Provision
MN0036, 2019, E-Government
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Online System for Public Services
MN0037, 2019, E-Government
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Participation in Public Procurement Processes
MN0038, 2019, Access to Information
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Citizen Monitoring of Local Development Fund (LDF)
MN0039, 2019, Capacity Building
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Increase Public Legal Knowledge
MN0040, 2019, Access to Justice
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Citizens' Satisfaction Survey
MN0041, 2019, Capacity Building
-
Transparent Political Party Finance
MN0042, 2019, Anti-Corruption
-
Improve Governance of State Owned Enterprises
MN0043, 2019, Anti-Corruption
-
Beneficial Ownership Transparency
MN0044, 2019, Anti-Corruption
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Contract Transparency in Extractives
MN0045, 2019, Anti-Corruption
-
Transparent M&E Information System
MN0046, 2019, Capacity Building
-
Governance of Waste Management
MN0047, 2019, E-Government
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Mobile Application for Citizens Feedback and Requests
MN0022, 2016, E-Government
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Improve Provision and Quality of Education and Health Services
MN0023, 2016, E-Government
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Civic Engagement in Decision Making
MN0024, 2016, Legislation & Regulation
-
Transparent Funding of Political Parties
MN0025, 2016, Anti-Corruption
-
Create Favourable Environment for Media and Journalism
MN0026, 2016, Civic Space
-
National Action Plan for Combating Corruption
MN0027, 2016, Anti-Corruption
-
Transparency of Loans and Aid from Foreign Countries
MN0028, 2016, Aid
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Online Registration of VAT
MN0029, 2016, Capacity Building
-
Improve Glass Account System
MN0030, 2016, Anti-Corruption
-
Make Government Procurement Process Transparent
MN0031, 2016, Anti-Corruption
-
Transparency of Contracts of Public Resource Exploiting
MN0032, 2016, Anti-Corruption
-
Information Transparency of the Owners of the Entities with Rights to Use Mineral Resources
MN0033, 2016, Anti-Corruption
-
Make Licenses, Information and Activities of the Companies Transparent and Effective by Government
MN0034, 2016, Anti-Corruption
-
Monitor and Ensure Implementation of Information Transparency and Information Access Right Act by Establishing National Information Transparency Committee and Creating Structure of Information Commissary.
MN0001, 2014, Access to Information
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Modernize Performance Indicators of Information Transparency of Public Organizations Into ―”Citizen Targeted” Ones.
MN0002, 2014, Capacity Building
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Launch ―Transparent Account Systemǁ in Order to Enable Consistent, Transparent Reporting to the Public and to Provide Comprehensive Information on Budget Revenue Collection, Income and Expenditure Details, as Well as Public Procurement and Investments.
MN0003, 2014, Anti-Corruption
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Develop Central Information Database of Minerals, Oil, and Land Tenure License Owners, Open to the Public.
MN0004, 2014, Anti-Corruption
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Ensure Transparency All Agreements on Investment, Stability and Production- Sharing of Public-Owned Resources Such as Water, Minerals, Oil and Land.
MN0005, 2014, Anti-Corruption
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Publish List of Mandatory Public Information on Environment Such as Information Regarding Any Action Harmful to Natural Environment and People’S Health.
MN0006, 2014, Environment and Climate
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Disclose Information to the Public Relating to Foreign Loan Assistance Projects and Programs, Including the Total Amounts, Terms, Payback Duration and General Provisions Related to the Loan Rate, Board Members, and Implementation Bodies. Information About the Terms of Implementation of the Projects as Well as General Conditions of Contracts Between Suppliers and Buyers Shall Be Disclosed as Well.
MN0007, 2014, Aid
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Disclose Budget Funded Procurement Contracts Above 80.0 Million MNT
MN0008, 2014, Anti-Corruption
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Ensure Civic Engagement in Planning and Developing Public Services at Central and Local Levels by Introducing Communication Channels Such as Organizing e-Conferences, Public Hearings, and Open Meetings.
MN0009, 2014, Public Participation
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Launch “Smart Government” Program, for Delivering e-Public Services to the People Regardless of Distance and Location Through the Public Service Portal.
MN0010, 2014, E-Government
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Create a Single Access Public Service for Citizens Without Requiring Supplementary State Registered Data, Based on Principles of “One Citizen-One Public Servant”.
MN0011, 2014,
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Improve and Develop Smart e-Service Capability for “One Window-Public Service” and Introduce It as a Standard Unit of Public Service.
MN0012, 2014, E-Government
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Increase Number of “Public Service Online Machines” at Local Levels for Delivering Public Services to Individuals in Remote Areas, as Well as Increase the Content of Its Data.
MN0013, 2014, E-Government
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Report Public Feedback on Government Performance Received from the Government’S “11-11” Center. Government Shall Also Establish a Data System That Responds to and Tracks Petitions and Enquiries.
MN0014, 2014, Public Participation
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Develop and Publish E-Mapping of Crime Occurrence.
MN0015, 2014, E-Government
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Create a United Information Database on Law Enforcement Activities, Crimes and Violation Records, and Ensure That the Database Is Accessible to Relevant Bodies.
MN0016, 2014, E-Government
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Introduce a System of Random Disclosure to the Public of Asset and Financial Statements of Any Public Servants.
MN0017, 2014, Anti-Corruption
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Publish the Asset and Financial Statements of Officials Who Work in Organizations with a High Likelihood of Corruption Index on Websites and Ensure Citizen Monitoring.
MN0018, 2014, Anti-Corruption
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Create Regulation That Repeals Decisions Made Without Due Participation of Citizens and Contradict Public Interests, as Well as Hold the Officials at Fault Accountable.
MN0019, 2014, Legislation & Regulation
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Deliver the Draft Laws, Acts, Amendments and Administrative Rules to Public Attention in Due Time. in Particular, Create an Opportunity for People to Access Such Information from “Public Service Online Machines”, Citizens Chambers, and the Public Libraries at Each Provincial Level.
MN0020, 2014, Capacity Building
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Strengthen the Capacity of Citizens by Implementing Certain Projects to Enhance Legal Knowledge of Target Groups Using Simple Language.
MN0021, 2014, Capacity Building