EconLab
Datlab Institut (formerly EconLab) is a Czech non-profit research organization that builds data analytics platforms — including Zindex.cz, PolitickeFinance.cz, Tenderman.cz, and Sankce — to monitor public procurement transparency, rank contracting authorities, and track political party finances across Czechia and Slovakia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersPrague, Czechia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What EconLab does
EconLab, now operating as Datlab Institut z.s., is a Czech non-profit research organization founded in 2011 and affiliated with the Institute of Economic Studies at Charles University. It operates a dual structure with a sister for-profit company, Datlab s.r.o., with which it cooperates on data mining and processing of economic data. The organization's core products cluster around public procurement transparency and political finance monitoring in Czechia and Slovakia. Flagship platforms include Zindex.cz (public buyers ranking covering thousands of contracting authorities), PolitickeFinance.cz (monitoring 193 transparent political party accounts and their links to public contracts), Datlab Kontrola (procurement data analysis flagging contract splitting and political connections), Tenderman.cz (tender aggregation portal), and Sankce (automated sanctions screening on the Czech Contracts Registry, with global company verification via Moody's). More recent offerings include Tendrnoš (free local tender notifications) and a database of supplier failures.
The business model is hybrid: the non-profit arm produces research, publishes the statutory methodology for small-scale public procurement (Metodika VZMR) co-developed with the Ministry for Regional Development, and operates free public-facing awareness tools, while the sister commercial entity Datlab s.r.o. monetizes data products such as Tenderman, Kontrola, and Sankce via subscriptions, and delivers paid training seminars. Key customers and partners include the Czech Senate, the Government Office, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry for Regional Development, Prague Transport Company, Znojmo Hospital, Oživení, Otidea, the BLÍžKSOBĚ Foundation, and the Aliance pro moderní stát. Go-to-market is primarily content-led (blog, public rankings, mainstream media citations) and event-driven (Zindex award ceremonies, training seminars), with direct SaaS distribution for the commercial tools.
EconLab firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- EconLab
- Legal name
- Datlab Institut z.s.
- Website
- https://econlab.cz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Datlab Institut (formerly EconLab) is a Czech non-profit research organization that builds data analytics platforms — including Zindex.cz, PolitickeFinance.cz, Tenderman.cz, and Sankce — to monitor public procurement transparency, rank contracting authorities, and track political party finances across Czechia and Slovakia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
EconLab industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Procurement Analytics Software
- akta.pro primary industry
- E-Procurement & Spend Analytics (BPAIAEAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Spend Analytics & Reporting Support (BPAAAJAJ), Catalog & eProcurement Enablement (Punchout, Item Master) (BPAAAJAI)
Keywords
Where EconLab is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Prague
- HQ country
- Czechia
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
EconLab business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Data & Analysis Tools for Public Procurement: Datlab s.r.o. (sister company) provides commercial data analysis tools and services related to public procurement, including Tenderman, Kontrola, and Sankce platforms. These tools serve both government buyers and supplier companies.
- Training & Methodology Services: Online and in-person training seminars on public procurement methodology for contracting authorities, municipalities, and public institutions.
- Research & Analysis Publications: Expert research and data analyses on public procurement published by Datlab Institut (the NGO arm), contributing to transparency and efficiency of public spending.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
EconLab product offering
Product offeringCore offering
EconLab operates a portfolio of data analytics platforms and methodology frameworks focused on public procurement transparency in Czechia and Slovakia. Through its nonprofit arm Datlab Institut and commercial sister company Datlab s.r.o., it provides tools for ranking public buyers, monitoring political party finances, screening sanctions, aggregating tender opportunities, and analyzing procurement data for anomalies. The organization also co-developed an official methodology for small-scale public procurement with the Ministry for Regional Development.
Product overview
EconLab/Datlab Institut operates as a product portfolio focused on public procurement transparency and efficiency, consisting of a main analysis platform with interconnected tools. The core offering includes Zindex.cz (public buyers ranking), Politickefinance.cz (political party finance monitoring), and Datlab Kontrola (procurement data analysis with problem detection). Complementary tools include Tenderman.cz (tender aggregation), Sankce (contracts registry monitoring with international sanctions checking, including a global verification partnership with Moody's), Tendrnoš (local tender notifications), and a database of supplier failures. Additionally, the organization offers a methodology framework for small-scale public procurement developed with the Czech Ministry for Regional Development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Zindex.cz Public buyers ranking platform that evaluates and ranks government institutions on public procurement quality, transparency, and efficiency. It promotes best practices in Czechia and Slovakia using hard data across multiple procurement disciplines and is used by ministries, regions, and municipalities.
- Politickefinance.cz Political party finance monitoring platform that tracks donations, campaign spending, and connections between politics and public contracts and grants across 193 transparent party accounts in Czechia.
- Datlab Kontrola Data analysis tool that searches procurement data from government offices and alerts users to potential problems including contract splitting below legal thresholds and supplier connections to politics.
- Tenderman.cz Public tender portal that aggregates thousands of public contracts, enabling companies to find tenders suitable for their business.
- Sankce (Sanctions Monitor) Automatic monitoring system for the Contracts Registry (Registr smluv) that checks for international sanctions. Can derive current data about actual owners for 96% of business entities from other registries and includes global company verification in partnership with Moody's.
- Metodika VZMR (Methodology for Small-Scale Public Procurement) Official methodology for small-scale public procurement (zakázky malého rozsahu) developed jointly with the Ministry for Regional Development and Oživení. Provides clear rules beyond mandatory minimum transparency, offering higher legal certainty especially against control bodies. Available as an 11-page PDF guide for municipalities and state administration.
- Tendrnoš Free service that monitors and notifies users about upcoming public tenders in their local area. Users can subscribe for free.
- Databáze pochybení dodavatelů (Supplier Failures Database) Database of supplier failures documenting cases where companies delivered poorly, late, or otherwise violated contract terms. Functions as a lever against poor-quality public procurement suppliers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Methodology published and distributed to municipalities and state administration bodies as official guidance (February and August 2020)
Companies that use EconLab
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
EconLab technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
EconLab partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Ministry for Regional Development of the Czech Republic (MMR)coreCo-developed the official methodology for small-scale public procurement (zakázky malého rozsahu) with the Ministry for Regional Development and Oživení. The methodology was published by MMR on 27 February 2020 for municipalities and on 6 August 2020 for state administration. It was distributed through meziresortní řízení (inter-ministerial consultation) as mandatory guidance for state bodies.
- Oživení (NGO)coreCo-developed the methodology for small-scale public procurement together with the Ministry for Regional Development and Datlab Institut / Econlab. Oživení is a Czech civic association focused on public administration transparency.
- Charles University - Institute of Economic Studies (IES)coreDatlab Institut z.s. is an NGO established under the Institute of Economic Studies of Charles University. The organization contributes expert research and data analysis toward more efficient and transparent public spending, and benefits from academic affiliation for research credibility.
- OtideaminorOtidea, represented by Kateřina Koláčková, collaborated on the methodology for small-scale public procurement. They offer professional services including administration of public procurement proceedings and advisory services, with projects totaling hundreds of billions of CZK. Otidea co-delivers training seminars on the methodology.
- Datlab s.r.o.coreDatlab Institut and Datlab s.r.o. are sister organizations that cooperate on data mining and processing of economic data. The for-profit Datlab s.r.o. develops and commercializes tools (Tenderman, Kontrola, Sankce) using data processed in partnership with the non-profit Datlab Institut.
- Aliance pro moderní stát (Alliance for a Modern State)minorListed as a related project on Datlab Institut's website. The Alliance is a civic association that advocates for the Czech Republic to be a strong Western democracy where freedom and justice prevail, sharing similar transparency objectives.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
EconLab competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Transparency International Česká republika: Czech chapter of Transparency International, focused on anti-corruption, public procurement integrity, and political accountability. Directly comparable in mission, target audiences (Czech government, EU institutions), and analytical outputs.
- Oživení: Czech civic association focused on public administration transparency; co-developed the VZMR methodology with EconLab and the Ministry for Regional Development. Operates in the same transparency-and-accountability NGO space and competes for the same grant funding and government partnerships.
- ProZorro: Ukrainian open-source public procurement platform with global transparency leadership. Functionally similar to Tenderman.cz plus Kontrola, and a recognized open-procurement benchmark that influences EU and CEE transparency discourse.
- TenderNed: Dutch government platform for publishing and finding public tenders, operated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Functionally analogous to Tenderman.cz for tender discovery and serves as a national-level public procurement transparency benchmark.
- Hlídač státu (Česko.Digital): Czech civic-tech platform monitoring public spending, contracts, and political accountability, founded by Česko.Digital. Closely comparable product surface to PolitickeFinance.cz and Zindex.cz, with overlapping Czech government and supplier audiences.
Regional players
- Spend Network: UK-based platform providing structured UK public spending analytics, supplier tracking, and contract data — analogous to Zindex.cz and Kontrola, but focused on UK government procurement and serving UK-based analytics customers.
- Find a Tender Service (ContractsFinder): UK government portal for publishing and searching public sector contract opportunities, replacing ContractsFinder. Directly comparable tender-aggregation and supplier-discovery functionality to Tenderman.cz, but serving UK buyers and suppliers.
Others
- Open Contracting Partnership: Global multi-stakeholder initiative promoting open contracting standards and data publication across dozens of countries. Functionally aligned with EconLab's transparency mission and methodology work, but operates as a standards/advocacy body rather than a commercial vendor.
Broad incumbents
- Tenders Electronic Daily (TED): Official EU-level procurement publication operated by the Publications Office of the European Union. The supranational incumbent that Czech and Slovak tenders feed into; comparable as a public tender discovery and publication platform, but at much larger scale.
- SAP Ariba (SAP Spend Management): Global enterprise procurement and spend management platform with growing public-sector footprint across EU and CEE. Competes at the SaaS tier where Datlab s.r.o.'s Sankce and Kontrola operate, but with vastly broader functionality, enterprise sales coverage, and integration depth.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
EconLab social profiles
Digital presenceEconLab financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
EconLab leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
EconLab funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
EconLab M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about EconLab
What does EconLab do?
EconLab operates a portfolio of data analytics platforms and methodology frameworks focused on public procurement transparency in Czechia and Slovakia. Through its nonprofit arm Datlab Institut and commercial sister company Datlab s.r.o., it provides tools for ranking public buyers, monitoring political party finances, screening sanctions, aggregating tender opportunities, and analyzing procurement data for anomalies. The organization also co-developed an official methodology for small-scale public procurement with the Ministry for Regional Development.
Is EconLab a public or private company?
EconLab is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was EconLab founded?
EconLab was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is EconLab based?
EconLab is headquartered in Prague, Czechia, in the Europe region.
How does EconLab make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Data & Analysis Tools for Public Procurement is the primary driver. The others are training & Methodology Services and research & Analysis Publications.
Who are EconLab's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Transparency International Česká republika, Oživení, ProZorro, TenderNed and Hlídač státu (Česko.Digital). Regional players are Spend Network and Find a Tender Service (ContractsFinder). Open Contracting Partnership is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) and SAP Ariba (SAP Spend Management).
Does EconLab have an API?
No public API is recorded for EconLab.
What industry is EconLab in?
EconLab's product category is Public Procurement Analytics Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAEAI, E-Procurement & Spend Analytics, with a secondary code of BPAAAJAJ, Spend Analytics & Reporting Support.