A Method for Targeting Information Disclosure to Flag Corruption Risks in Procurement - Application to Sri Lanka

Abstract

In this paper, authors look at how identifying ‘red-flags’ in corruption procurement can work for Sri Lanka. It assesses procurement information disclosure levels on Sri Lanka’s E-Government Procurement platform (www.PROMISe.lk) and identifies the critical compliance gaps in information disclosure, and what improvements in disclosure requirements can be most productive to identify and pre-empt corruption risks in Sri Lanka’s public procurement. Authors develop an analytical method that converts the guidance provided by the Open Contracting Partnership’s guidance on corruption red-flags in public procurement into a metric for assessing the marginal benefit of additional information disclosure on procurement. It then applies that metric to assess the consequences of disclosure shortfalls in Sri Lanka and makes strategic recommendations on increasing the mandated disclosure requirements.