In 2003, the Argentine Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology adopted an Integrity Pact for a largescale textbook procurement process that was receiving significant financing from the Inter-American Development Bank. The IP was signed between all interested bidders, and Poder Ciudadano - TI's chapter in Argentina - served as civil society monitor for the IP. The IP was accompanied by public hearings on the selection criteria and bidding documents, as well as a focus on avoiding conflicts of interest. Overall, the IP and other measures were credited with increasing the number of bidders in the process, a meaningful vetting to exclude those who presented integrity concerns and overall benefits with respect to competition, efficiency, and transparency.

Additional information

• Procurement authority: Ministry of Education, Science and Technology
• Monitor: Poder Ciudadano (Transparency International Argentina)
• Language: Spanish
• Start year: 2003
• End year: 2003
• Tender value: Approx USD 14.5 million