ITH: an open database on Italian Tenders 2016-2023

Area of Science:

• Public Administration
• Data Science
• Government Procurement

Background:

• Public procurement in Italy represents a significant economic sector (12% of GDP).
• Existing public data on tenders are fragmented across multiple sources, hindering accessibility and analysis.
• The need for a consolidated, usable dataset for understanding government spending and anti-corruption efforts is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and analyze the creation of a centralized legal public administration database.
• To integrate diverse data sources for enhanced usability and analytical capabilities.
• To address challenges in data completeness within the Open Data catalogue.

Main Methods:

• Collection and arrangement of tender data from the National Anti-Corruption Authority (over 3 million tenders).
• Integration with datasets on public entities and territorial units (2016-2023).
• Analysis of data completeness and usability challenges in the Open Data catalogue.

Main Results:

• Development of the Italian Tender Hub (ITH), a comprehensive dataset of public tenders.
• Identification of significant challenges related to data completeness in current Open Data repositories.
• Demonstration of a practical application and use case for the ITH dataset.

Conclusions:

• The Italian Tender Hub (ITH) provides a valuable, integrated resource for analyzing public procurement.
• Addressing data completeness is essential for maximizing the utility of Open Data initiatives.
• The ITH facilitates better understanding and oversight of government contracting and anti-corruption measures.