To develop a Public Procurement Alert System Platform that flags inconsistencies and questionable practices based on Beneficial Ownership Information.

CIPE Project Brief

This project aims to promote transparency and accountability in public procurement in Lebanon, addressing the systemic issues that have led to corruption, inefficiency, and a decline in the quality of public services. Ineffective public procurement practices, including defrauding bids, bid-rigging, and conflicts of interest, have contributed to the country's multi-layered crises. Despite the enactment of a new Public Procurement Law in August 2022, critical safeguards, such as the disclosure of beneficial ownership information, remain absent. This project, led by Transparency International – Lebanon (TI-LB), with support from the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), seeks to create an online Public Procurement Alert System (PPAS) that provides timely, accurate, and publicly accessible information on awarded public contract, including universal beneficial ownership data. The PPAS will empower relevant authorities, civil society, and the media to combat corruption, enhance competition, and ensure compliance with international standards for public procurement, ultimately contributing to good governance and trust in public institutions.

Key Objectives:

●    Establish an online Public Procurement Alert System (PPAS) to provide access to universal beneficial ownership data and information on public contract opportunities.
●    Train activists, civil society, and investigative journalists to use the PPAS for monitoring and advocacy efforts.
●    Develop monitoring methodologies to track the enforcement of the public procurement law and disseminate progress reports.
●    Engage in advocacy and outreach campaigns to raise public awareness and build support for transparent public procurement practices.
●    Promote collaboration and knowledge sharing among civil society organizations to exert collective pressure on dec

Scope of work
Transparency International - Lebanon invites technically proficient web development companies to submit proposals for developing a highly advanced Beneficial Ownership and Public Procurement Monitoring Tool. This platform must function as a sophisticated monitor, rigorously interrogating diverse databases to detect red flags, all while advancing transparency and accountability.

This endeavor aims to engineer a customized website that rigorously adheres to open ownership standards. This digital platform should exhibit diverse outcomes and alerts in a user-friendly, creative, and intuitive fashion. Furthermore, end users must be able to export comprehensive reports and intricate visualizations for seamless dissemination.

Technical Requirements

The selected vendor must deliver a web solution that adheres to the following technical prerequisites:
●    Impeccable integration with a multitude of databases and datasets for real-time monitoring.
●    A systematic and automated methodology for identifying red flags within beneficial ownership and public procurement data domains.
●    A highly adaptable architecture to facilitate scalability and manage extensive data loads.
●    End-to-end compatibility with a broad range of data formats and sources.

User Interface and Visualization

The website must boast an ergonomically designed interface that allows end users to:
●    Intuitively explore and visualize monitoring results, promoting data comprehension.
●    Customize visualizations to cater to unique requirements.
●    Maintain an aesthetically pleasing design to facilitate user engagement.

Reporting, Sharing, and Searchability

End users must have the capability to:
●    Generate, export, and archive comprehensive reports and intricate visualizations.
●    Seamlessly disseminate insights via various communication channels.
●    Utilize advanced search functionalities to retrieve specific data, patterns, and alerts quickly.

Security

The backend infrastructure must function as a fortified fortress, ensuring:
●    Strict security measures to safeguard sensitive data from unauthorized access.
●    Comprehensive compliance with the highest standards of data encryption and access control.
●    Continuous security assessments and updates to combat emerging threats.

Adaptability

The backend architecture must be inherently adaptable, facilitating:
●    The seamless integration of new data sources
●    The flexibility to pivot in line with dynamic needs.
●    Scalability to efficiently handle augmented user loads and escalating data volumes.

The website must firmly adhere to Open Ownership’s Beneficial Ownership Data Standard, facilitating comprehensive integration with pertinent databases and datasets for exhaustive monitoring.