# About

The [Open Contracting Partnership](https://www.open-contracting.org), [CoST](https://infrastructuretransparency.org/) - the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative - and [Open Data Services Co-operative](https://opendataservices.coop) are working together to document how the [Open Contracting Data Standard](https://standard.open-contracting.org), and additional standardized data models, can be used to represent, share and analyze all the information necessary under the [CoST Infrastructure Data Standard](https://infrastructuretransparency.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/36_List_of_CoST_Project_Information.pdf).

You can get involved via the [issue tracker](https://github.com/open-contracting/infrastructure), or for more information about this work, contact [Bernadine Fernz](mailto:bfernz@open-contracting.org), Head of Infrastructure at the Open Contracting Partnership and/or [Evelyn Hernandez](mailto:e.hernandez@infrastructuretransparency.org), Head of Members and Affiliate Programmes at CoST.

Read more about [Open Contracting and Infrastructure on the Open Contracting Partnership Blog](https://www.open-contracting.org/tag/infrastructure/)

## Background

The Open Contracting Data Standard is already used to describe millions of procurement processes around the world relating to goods, services and public works.

CoST, the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative, has identified [67 key items of information](https://infrastructuretransparency.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/36_List_of_CoST_Project_Information.pdf) that ought to be **pro-actively and reactively disclosed** for public works projects in order to support stakeholders to monitor these infrastructure projects, and to carry out assurance activities.

These 67 elements cover both **project information** and **contract information** for the planning, preparation, procurement and implementation phases of an infrastructure project and its associated contracting processes.

A lot of the information identified by CoST may be captured through contracting processes:

* Contracts are issued for planning, design and preparation work;
* Contracts are issued for construction of infrastructure;
* Contracts are issued for monitoring construction implementation.

When open contracting principles and practices are put in place, data about these contracting processes, and documents associated with them, ought to be openly available in standard formats.

By linking existing open contracting disclosure (and ensuring key fields and documents are provided) with project-level information, new opportunities for data-driven infrastructure project monitoring are unlocked.

## Theory of change and work plan

This project, running from June 2018 through to March 2019, has the following theory of change.

![Theory of Change](_static/images/OC-CoST-TheoryOfChange-June2018.png)

The technical development work plan consists of the following four components:

* **Supply and demand research (June/July 2018)** - exploring the extent to which existing open contracting data can be used to understand major infrastructure projects and fulfill reporting requirements of the CoST Infrastructure Data Standard.

* **Project identifier research (June/July 2018)** - identifying the opportunities to bring together data on projects through use of unique project identifiers.

* **Schema and guidance development (July - September 2018)** - providing a clearly documented approach to the use of the core Open Contracting Data Standard (and extensions if appropriate) to provide the proactive disclosures needed by CoST, and outlining implementation models for this.

* **Implementation resources (October 2018 - February 2019)** - creating guidance for implementers seeking to deploy the open contracting data standard for infrastructure projects