Step Up Consulting was awarded a research contract by HIVOS, a development organization headquartered in the Netherlands, to undertake a research project to understand how open contracting reforms and increased availability of contract data can be used to realize results and benefits for specific, historically marginalized groups external to government.
Step Up Consulting is one of the several firms considered to undertake the research but got the final nod of the HIVOS review panel based on the strength of its proposal and the quality of the composition of its research team. The research will be conducted in Kenya and Nigeria in Africa, and Indonesia and the Philippines in Asia.
For this research, Step Up’s team is composed of Michael Canares, strategy advisor, as research lead and Francois Van Schalkwyk, a long-time collaborator of Mr. Canares, along with Fiona Smith and Ana Brandusescu as review panel. The research will run from July 2019 to January 2020.
The research, using a case study approach, aims to identify and assess ways in which key aspects of open contracting reforms did or did not lead to circumstances where open contracting resulted in increased equality and inclusion in public contracting processes. More particularly, the research would like to answer the following questions:
- How can open contracting reforms and increased availability of contract data be used to realise results and benefits for specific, historically marginalised groups external to government?
- What contextual and programmatic aspects in open contracting contribute to achieving meaningful results and benefits for these marginalised groups?
- What do specific, historically marginalised stakeholders experience as significant barriers/impediments to achieving the desired results and benefits?
Step Up Consulting 