CoST - Infrastructure Transparency Initiative

The CoST approach is focussed on four core features: multi-stakeholder working, disclosure, assurance, and social accountability. These features provide a global standard for CoST implementation to further infrastructure transparency and accountability.
Whilst the standard is universally applied by CoST members, CoST encourages it to be adapted to country contexts, so that it is appropriately applied to different political, economic, and social systems.
DisclosureThe CoST disclosure process is designed to ensure that data such as the purpose, scope, costs, and implementation of infrastructure projects is open, accessible, and more readily available to the public.
Key to the process is data disclosure in accordance with the CoST Infrastructure Data Standard (CoST IDS) and the Open Contracting for Infrastructure Data Standard (OC4IDS). The CoST IDS requires procuring entities to disclose 40 data points ("items") across key stages of the infrastructure project cycle. The OC4IDS builds on the CoST IDS and combines contract-level disclosure based on the Open Contracting Data Standard and project-level disclosure based on the CoST IDS. It standardises the approach to disclosing data through the use of online platforms, encouraging data centralisation and making it available in "real time".
By the end of 2019, CoST had promoted the disclosure of over 11,700 projects in line with the CoST IDS, bringing the cumulative total to 38,514 infrastructure projects globally over the previous five years. CoST reports that in Thailand, for example, heightened disclosure on infrastructure projects helped to save US$360 million by inhibiting misbehaviour in procurement and strengthening bidding competition, leading to a more efficient use of public funds.
AssuranceThe CoST assurance process is an independent review of the disclosed data by assurance teams appointed by CoST national programmes. The teams look at the data published through the disclosure process and identify key issues of concern, gaps in the data, and areas of good practice. They put technical jargon into plain language, with the aim of turning data into comprehensible information. This can enable stakeholders such as the media, civil society, and the public to understand the issues and hold decision-makers to account. For instance, CoST Afghanistan's First Assurance Report in 2018 identified major problems in the preparation stage of the project cycle, particularly relating to inaccurate surveys and inconsistent designs. A Design Review Unit was established to counter these issues and saved US$8.3 million between 2018-2019, after reviewing 101 projects.
Multi-stakeholder workingEnhancing transparency and accountability in public infrastructure involves collaboration across stakeholder groups from government, private sector, and civil society who have different perspectives and backgrounds.
CoST brings these stakeholders together through multi-stakeholder groups in each national programme. The groups guide the delivery of CoST and provide a neutral forum for stakeholders to pursue infrastructure transparency together. Multi-stakeholder group members are also instrumental in ensuring recommendations from assurance processes reach government decision-makers.
Social accountabilitySocial accountability stakeholders such as the media, civil society, and academia play an important role in holding decision-makers to account. CoST works with these stakeholders to promote the findings from its assurance process so that they can put key issues in the public domain. For example, in Uganda, CoST has developed a "media team" of 45 journalists who support the programme by promoting its research findings and engaging local communities in key issues. CoST asserts that this strategy has led to widespread dissemination of information across print, radio, and TV that would be otherwise unlikely to enter the public domain.

Transparency, Anti-corruption, Social and Economic Development