Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Digital Government Authority (DGA) obligated ministries, and other government entities and agencies to allow citizens access to data related to their current and past expenditures and procurement.

Government entities are required to make the data available to citizens through digital channels. They have to provide information related to future and current government purchases, including information related to the results of purchases, in addition to full details related to contracts, such as beneficiary data, name, type, and value of the contract through Etimad, a dedicated national procurement portal.

The data relating to government procurement shall be available on the entity’s open data website and the national open data portal. The Ministry of Finance introduced Etimad as a financial digital services platform. Etimad provides access to government tenders and procurement to the private sector. It acts as a single stop for all government tenders and enables the private sector to review government tender contracts and project details easily.

The mandatory directive from the DGA is part of the draft e-Participation Regulations, which aim to enhance active participation and interaction of government agencies with beneficiaries by achieving enhanced transparency in all sectors, supporting channels of communication with citizens, the business community and representatives of the non-profit sector.

It also aims to enable government agencies to deal effectively with beneficiaries and increase the use of digital government services.

The regulations also encourage and support the adoption of e-participation mechanisms to improve public policies and digital services, ensure that government agencies respond to their customers’ comments, and enhance the openness of government agencies to the collaborative construction of public policies.

The Saudi government underscored the importance of interactive communication and constructive dialogue between the government and citizens, the business sector, and all other parties as an essential precondition to achieving the objectives of Vision 2030. Digital engagement and participation are given greater significance in this regard.