iMonitor

 iMonitor 2.0: Enhancing law enforcement efficiency by bringing together public procurement big data and civil monitors 2.0

The iMonitor 2.0 project empowers citizens to actively engage in monitoring public contracts, contributing to transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption efforts locally. We introduce an innovative public contract monitoring model, combining data-driven risk assessment with on-the-ground monitoring by trained civic monitors. The goal is to provide actionable information to authorities to address corruption and fraud in public procurement, fostering strong civil society networks for sustained anti-corruption efforts.

iMonitor 2.0 is a 24-months project funded under the Internal Security Fund programme of the European Commission that started on May 1st 2025.

It gathers 12 partners from 8 countries:

– Transparency International, Bulgaria

– Akki Atlathato Kormanyzas Kutatointezet Kft

– Government Transparency Institute, Hungary – coordinator

– Monithon Europe ETS, Italy

– Fundacja Akademia Antykorupcyjna, Poland

– Instituti Shqiptar i Shkencave, Albania

– Autorita’ Nazionale Anticorruzione, Italy

– Collegi de Professionals de la Ciencia Politica, Spain

– Oficina Antifrau de Catalunya, Spain

– Societatea Academica Din Romania Asociatie, Romania

– SOLUTION: Solidarité & Inclusion, France

– Ministère du Budget, des Comptes Publics et de la Fonction Publique et de la Réforme de l’Etat, France

Why monitor public contracts?

Public procurement, a key component of policy implementation in the EU making up around 14% of GDP and approximately 2 trillion euros annually, presents inherent corruption risks and poses many challenges to the effective prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of corruption despite the increasing adoption of anti-corruption and integrity measures in Europe and across the globe.

In response to EU-wide concerns, we continue supporting law enforcement in fighting corruption in public procurement through the collection and reporting of quantitative and qualitative evidence, setting forth the iMonitor approach combining Big Data analytics with in-depth, network-based civil monitoring of ongoing contracts in 6 EU Member States – Spain (Catalonia), Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, France and Poland – and one accession country – Albania.

What role can civic monitors play?

Civic monitors serve as watchdogs, preventing mismanagement and corruption. They can help promote transparency, act as community advocates, report issues, and mobilise public awareness around public contract monitoring. iMonitor supports citizens in monitoring projects that impact their communities, enabling them to actively participate in ensuring the efficient use of public funds.

Key highlights of iMonitor 2.0

Data-driven risk assessment of contracts: We use opentender.eu (maintained by the Government Transparency Institute) to assess the integrity of millions of contracts and select those that are more prone to corruption and irregularities. This helps to direct the focus of our civic monitoring to contracts where the potential preventive impact is higher.

Network building: iMonitor 2.0 seeks to strengthen enduring monitoring networks within the civic community. We also promote collaboration between civil society and public actors to enhance monitoring effectiveness. From the start, we have in each country a public partner collaborating with the project.

Skill development: Our training programme provides civic monitors with basic knowledge of public procurement, how it can be affected by corruption, and how to monitor contracts in their communities. The programme will be offered in four sessions combining webinars and a hands-on in-person event with a real monitoring exercise.

Reporting template: iMonitor offers an easy-to-use online reporting template (monithon.eu), where monitors report their findings in a structured questionnaire with detailed guidance. Finished reports are made public on the platform and can be disseminated to other stakeholders. Those reports with relevant findings on potential irregularities are also forwarded to competent authorities for further investigation.