Gov’t starts 2-day procurement hackathon

MANILA, Philippines - The Open Data Philippines Task Force started yesterday a two-day ‘hackathon’ aimed at developing applications that can help citizens understand and monitor the procurement process.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, whose office is part of the government’s Open Data Task Force, said the procurement hack “aims to harness the potential of civic technology in fostering government transparency and increasing public awareness of the procurement process.”

Organized in partnership with the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and Globe Telecom, the hackathon brought together developers, designers, researchers, and data gurus in the country with the objective of developing procurement-related applications.

“Potential app ideas and challenges include helping citizens understand and monitor the procurement process, matching government needs with prospective bidders, and assembling a history or track record of previous bidders,” Lacierda said.

The procurement “hackathon” is the third such event organized by the Open Data Task Force, following those aimed at developing apps for budget transparency and disaster risk reduction and management.

“By bringing together different sectors, the hackathon provides a platform for collaboration among various groups – government, the private sector, civil society, and international partners,” said Lacierda.

“It is also in line with the Aquino administration’s commitment to tuwid na daan (straight path) and to reforms in public expenditure,” he added.