Open Contracting Partnership

What Open Contracting Partnership does

Open Contracting Partnership (OCP) is an independent non-profit public charity founded circa 2015 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., that connects governments, civil society, and businesses to open up and monitor public procurement. It is the steward of the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS), a free, open-source global schema for structuring and publishing procurement data, applied in more than 50 countries and cities and underpinning national e-procurement systems, dashboards, and analytics. OCP's primary customers are public procuring entities at national, regional, and municipal levels (including Tanzania PPRA, Mexico City, Boston, Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Assam, Ukraine, Ecuador, and Brazil), supported by civil society oversight coalitions, multilateral and donor partners (World Bank, IDB, UNODC, Gates, Hewlett, IDRC, Hivos, DFID), and small/women-led/minority-owned businesses that benefit from OCP-built opportunity and credit platforms.

Name

Open Contracting Partnership

Legal name

Open Contracting Partnership

Website

https://open-contracting.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Open Contracting Partnership (OCP) is an independent non-profit that stewards the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) and delivers open-source tools, country-specific digital platforms, and the Lift impact accelerator to help governments, civil society, and businesses reform public procurement globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Procurement Transparency and Open Government Data Services

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Procurement & Contracting (BPAIAEAE)

Keywords

• Open contracting data standard
• Public procurement transparency
• Procurement red flags
• E-procurement reform
• Civil society advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and philanthropic funding: OCP operates as an independent non-profit public charity 501(c)(3); primary revenue comes from grants and philanthropic funding from foundations and bilateral/multilateral donors (e.g., Gates Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, IDRC, Hivos, DFID referenced). Funding supports the Lift program and country-specific reform engagements.
2. Professional services and technical assistance: OCP provides dedicated support and services including e-GP evaluation, change management, technical specifications, data-system strengthening, and custom digital solution design/build for governments and non-profits. Engagements are bespoke and project-based.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Open Contracting Partnership stewards the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) and delivers bespoke public procurement reform engagements, open-source digital tools, and an 18-month Lift impact accelerator program for governments and civil society. Its products include the Cardinal red-flags library, a public Data Registry, and country-specific platforms such as Prebases, Vigía, MiTiendita Virtual, CREDERE, DREAM and MapaInversiones. Core services span e-procurement evaluation, technical specifications, change management, data-system strengthening, and digital solution design and build.

Product overview

Open Contracting Partnership (OCP) is an independent non-profit that supports a portfolio of interconnected digital tools and resources for public procurement reform, anchored by the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) — the global best-practice schema used to structure and publish procurement data. OCDS underlies OCP's other products, including the Cardinal open-source library for calculating red flags, business intelligence dashboards (red flags Early Warning System in the Dominican Republic, equity dashboard in Boston, sustainability dashboards in Lithuania), and the country-specific platforms OCP has co-created such as Prebases (Mexico City), Vigía (Paraguay), MiTiendita Virtual (Mexico City), CREDERE (Colombia/US), the Disaster Risk Reduction data solution (Assam, India), DREAM reconstruction ecosystem (Ukraine), and MapaInversiones (IDB/Latin America). These digital solutions are complemented by the Lift impact accelerator program (an 18-month reform program), the public Data Registry at data.open-contracting.org, and a suite of guides and toolkits (Quickstart, Legislative, Red Flags, Mythbusting Confidentiality, Buying AI, Open and Sustainable Public Procurement toolkit, and Advocacy Toolkit). OCP's overall offering is therefore a platform-plus-modules architecture: OCDS as the core data standard, Cardinal and the Data Registry as data infrastructure, country-specific platforms and dashboards as deployment modules, and Lift plus the guide library as the service and capacity-building layer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS): Free, open-source global best practice data standard administered by OCP to structure and publish open contracting data, applied in more than 50 countries and cities.
• Cardinal
• Buying AI
• Open Contracting Lift

Products and services

• Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) The free, open-source global best-practice data standard for structuring and publishing open data on public procurement. Applied in more than 50 countries and cities, OCDS provides the schema used across OCP's other digital solutions and tools.
• Cardinal OCP's open-source Python library for calculating common risk indicators of corruption and collusion in public procurement using OCDS data. Powers the red flags methodology and downstream dashboards.
• Prebases Pre-bidding module that publishes draft specifications, award process details and technical annexes on an electronic procurement system; suppliers, civil society and citizens can ask questions and make recommendations, with public responses from the procuring entity. Currently used by Mexico City.
• Real-time Red Flags Early Warning System Dashboard (Dominican Republic) Data-driven corruption risk monitoring dashboard integrating 21 indicators of common red flags (e.g., ties between suppliers and politicians, contracts broken up to undercut thresholds, links to prohibited practices). Built with Microsoft support; covers 300 daily procurements by 500+ buyers engaging 111,000 suppliers.
• Equity in City Contracting Dashboard (Boston) Business intelligence tool providing analysis of how city funds are spent with certified minority businesses; used by the City of Boston, Massachusetts.
• Vigía (Paraguay) Procurement opportunity platform allowing entrepreneurs to find public procurement opportunities via an SME-oriented search engine and to provide real-time feedback on irregularities. Currently used by the government of Paraguay.
• MiTiendita Virtual (Mexico City) Small-business one-stop platform that enables small businesses in Mexico City to proactively share business information with government buyers, browse an annual purchasing calendar, and search for relevant opportunities.
• CREDERE Open-source tool that helps small businesses access credit to comply with public contracts. Uses open procurement data to invite recently awarded suppliers to apply for financial products and pre-populates credit applications with contract data. Piloted in Bogotá, Colombia and scaled nationally; a U.S. pilot is being developed with Community Development Financial Institutions.
• Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) data solution Data model joining complex datasets on flood hazard, exposure, vulnerability and government contracts to help decision-makers identify and prioritize investments for vulnerable communities. In use by the State of Assam, India, and being scaled across other states.
• DREAM Reconstruction Ecosystem (Ukraine) Umbrella system for infrastructure reconstruction in Ukraine integrating real-time damage assessments, budgets, project planning, procurement and delivery, creating a single pipeline from communities to funders.
• MapaInversiones Data service using OCDS to visualize public investment data and connect procurement, spending and environmental indicators in Latin America for the Inter-American Development Bank.
• Lift impact accelerator program 18-month program working closely with competitively selected reform teams across selection, design, implementation, and documentation phases. Past teams include Mexico City, Ecuador, Boston, Des Moines, Paraguay, Assam (India), Brazil, Moldova, and Ekiti State (Nigeria); 14 of 22 past teams have achieved or are on track for systemic progress.
• Data Registry (data.open-contracting.org) Public registry providing access to OCDS-formatted procurement data published by implementing governments and organizations.
• Buying AI: Tips and tools for public procurement Guide offering recommendations for governments on responsible AI procurement across five priorities: organizational AI strategy, staff AI literacy, technology and procurement team integration, data management, and agile procurement through open competition.

Quantifiable outcome

• Procurement cycle time in Tanzania reduced from 116 to 80 days (30% reduction)
• +11 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability8 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

39 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft supported implementation of the Real-time Red Flags Dashboard in the Dominican Republic, an Early Warning System that integrates 21 red flag indicators covering 300 daily procurements, 500+ buyers, and 111,000 suppliers.
• Inter-American Development BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMapaInversiones uses the Open Contracting Data Standard to visualize public investment data connecting procurement, spending, and environmental indicators in Latin America.
• OpenOwnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister project creating a global open data standard for companies to disclose beneficial owners; OCP is part of the founding Steering Committee alongside Transparency International, Global Witness, ONE, the B Team and OpenCorporates.
• Transparency InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding Steering Committee member of OpenOwnership; co-developer of beneficial ownership norms and a member of anti-corruption coalitions alongside OCP.
• Global WitnessmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding Steering Committee member of OpenOwnership, working with OCP on beneficial ownership disclosure and corporate transparency.
• ONEmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding Steering Committee member of OpenOwnership alongside OCP.
• The B TeammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding Steering Committee member of OpenOwnership alongside OCP.
• OpenCorporatesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding Steering Committee member of OpenOwnership alongside OCP, working on beneficial ownership data ecosystem.
• Publish What You PaymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner listed in OCP's beneficial ownership ecosystem of organizations advancing corporate transparency in procurement.
• UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWith UNODC support, Gavin Hayman and Kristen Robinson are leading the Improving Integrity project to review best practices and emerging norms for anti-corruption in procurement and propose updates to UN Convention Against Corruption implementation guidance.
• Development GatewaymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on OCP's 2020 Action Research cohort and broader open contracting ecosystem collaborations.
• Africa Freedom of Information Centre (Uganda)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-investigator with the Institute for Social Accountability (Kenya) on OCP's 2-year gender-responsive procurement research in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.
• Institute for Social Accountability (Kenya)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-investigator with the Africa Freedom of Information Centre on OCP's gender-responsive procurement research in Eastern Africa.
• Universidad de ChilemajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerResearch partner with OCP, the Ministry of Public Works and CENABAST on redesigning auctions for public works and medicine contracts in Chile.
• CENABAST (Chile)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChile's medical procurement authority; research partner with Universidad de Chile and OCP on medicine procurement and comparative value-for-money analysis.
• Universidad Nacional de ColombiamajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerResearch partner that worked with OCP to develop guidelines for public procurement best practices in public hospitals in Colombia.
• Centro de Desarrollo SosteniblemajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerResearch partner on OCP's efficiency and AI research, including procurement duration analysis for Portugal and Chile and a Latin American researcher network applying AI to OCDS data.
• Oxford InsightsmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCo-developed qualitative gender and inclusion framework for OCP's Action Research and evaluated IMF COVID-19 financing transparency commitments by 12 governments.
• Spend NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner on Global Procurement Spend analysis and on the Sustainable Public Procurement toolkit (with PUBLIC).
• PUBLICmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer with OCP and Spend Network of the Sustainable Public Procurement toolkit.
• TrustLawminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner that documented best practices from Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, and Ukraine for the Open Contracting Legislative Guide.
• Stellenbosch University (Prof. Sope Williams-Elegbe)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAcademic research partner on gender-responsive procurement in South Africa.
• WAJIBUmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCivil society organization partnering with OCP to train small businesses in Tanzania, resulting in 38 entrepreneurs winning public contracts.
• Open Government Partnership (OGP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCP is an active member of OGP; OGP has published a topical guide on Coronavirus and public procurement and featured OCP in its Academy programs.
• Government of the United KingdommajorOthersLift-partner government; OCP analyzed the first year of the UK Procurement Act 2023 and produced evidence-based research on Find a Tender data.
• Government of the PhilippinesmajorOthersNational-level Lift participant pursuing open contracting reforms after a major spending scandal.
• Government of SenegalmajorOthersNational-level Lift participant pursuing open contracting reforms.
• Government of UgandamajorOthersNational-level Lift participant; OCP documented impact on women businesses through contracts.
• Government of LithuaniamajorOthersNational-level Lift participant that achieved 100% green procurement; co-developed sustainability-tracking business intelligence dashboards with OCP.
• Government of ChilemajorOthersNational-level Lift participant; advanced beneficial ownership disclosure in public procurement.
• Government of MoldovamajorOthersNational-level Lift participant that worked with OCP on medicine procurement reforms.
• City of Buenos Aires, ArgentinaminorOthersLift-partner city implementing open contracting for SMEs in public procurement.
• City of BangkokminorOthersLift-partner city implementing open contracting reforms.
• City of Lille, FranceminorOthersLift-partner city implementing open contracting reforms.
• City of New Orleans, Louisiana (USA)minorOthersLift-partner city implementing open contracting reforms.
• City of Portland, Oregon (USA)minorOthersLift-partner city supporting local economies through open contracting dashboards.
• City of El Paso, Texas (USA)minorOthersLift-partner city implementing open contracting reforms.
• World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCP cites the World Bank's 34,000-firm survey across 88 countries as evidence underpinning its impact framework; also co-author of The Puppet Masters study on beneficial ownership and shell companies.
• ProZorro (Ukraine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProZorro is Ukraine's flagship open procurement platform; OCP highlights ProZorro's CEO Vasyl Zadvornyy as a community champion and works with DoZorro civil society network.

Scale indicators28 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Development Gateway: Non-profit that builds data and digital tools for international development, including aid and procurement transparency. Comparable to OCP as a technology-focused non-profit serving governments and donors with open data platforms.
• Transparency International: Global non-profit coalition leading the fight against corruption, including public procurement integrity. Directly comparable to OCP as a mission-aligned anti-corruption organization with national chapters, donor backing, and influence on UNCAC and OECD norms.
• ProZorro: Ukraine's flagship OCDS-aligned public procurement platform, frequently cited by OCP as a community champion and case study. Direct operational peer delivering open procurement infrastructure at national scale.
• OpenOwnership: Sister project creating the global Beneficial Ownership Data Standard (BODS); OCP co-founded it alongside Transparency International, Global Witness, ONE, the B Team and OpenCorporates. Direct peer in transparency standards stewardship and coalition-driven governance reform.
• Open Government Partnership (OGP): Intergovernmental initiative of 150+ governments advancing transparency, accountability, and citizen participation — including open contracting as a flagship commitment area. Closely aligned with OCP's mission, member base, and reform coalition model.
• Publish What You Pay: Global coalition of 700+ civil society organizations demanding transparency in extractive industries, including public contracting. Comparable coalition-based model, donor base, and focus on making government contract data open and usable.
• Government Transparency Institute: Research organization producing empirical studies on public procurement corruption and transparency; co-investigated the 3.5M European contract study cited by OCP. Directly comparable as a peer research body influencing the same evidence base.

Others

• Center for Global Development (CGD): Think tank producing independent research on global development, governance, and aid effectiveness. Adjacent peer influencing the same donor and policy ecosystem that funds and shapes OCP's procurement reform agenda.

Emerging players

• Spend Network: UK-based procurement data analytics firm that analyzes government spending patterns globally, partnered with OCP on the Sustainable Public Procurement toolkit. Comparable focus on contract data, but operates as a commercial analytics vendor.
• Open Data Institute (ODI): Non-profit founded by Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Sir Nigel Shadboldt to build an open, trustworthy data ecosystem. Comparable as a UK-based open data advocacy and capacity-building non-profit serving governments and civil society.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=USSX2uOBE7Q&list=PL7sSifLpWd8hkBscq1VCY4a-lWoeWBIVr
• Xx.com/opencontracting
• Facebookfacebook.com/OpenContracting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opencontractingpartnership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Open Contracting Partnership