(Draft)
Keywords:
Corruption, Transparency, Access to Information, Public Procurement, Public Finance, Governance, Public Works
Introduction
The issue of transparency has been central to governance reforms and public administration discourse in Colombia over recent decades, shaping both institutional credibility and citizen trust. In the context of democratic governance, Lalinde et al. (2022) argue that transparency serves as a critical pillar for institutional legitimacy, particularly in countries with long histories of corruption and public sector inefficiency. Following persistent public pressure, Colombia institutionalized transparency through the 1991 Constitution in Article 74, granting citizens the right to access public information. However, despite these legal provisions, public infrastructure spending remains vulnerable to financial opacity due to fragmented systems and limited real-time oversight, leaving significant gaps in public accountability.
Background to the problem
Efforts to promote transparency in Bogotá’s public infrastructure sector are frequently hindered by fragmented data systems across various oversight bodies. This lack of integration creates inconsistencies between policy intentions and operational realities, leaving financial flows in large-scale projects difficult to track. As a result, public trust in infrastructure governance remains vulnerable to persistent accountability gaps. While some view transparency initiatives as symbolic or compliance-driven, true financial transparency demands comprehensive, system-wide solutions that embed accountability at every stage of project delivery. Recognizing these challenges, Bogotá has deployed a range of technological and civic platforms including CoST, Bogotá Cómo Vamos, IDECA, SIGOT, and SECOP aimed at improving public oversight. However, with over 1,100 public works currently under construction, the city’s 2025 goal of achieving full transparency will require deeper digital integration to enable real-time financial traceability across complex procurement and delivery chains
Outlining the challenge
Achieving full financial transparency in Bogotá’s public works faces significant structural and technical challenges, particularly in terms of data integration across the multiple stages of project execution. At each phase from project approval to budget allocation, implementation, and contracting financial data is generated, but often remains siloed across separate agencies. This fragmentation makes it increasingly difficult to answer a fundamental question: Where is the money going?
Without integrated systems, tracking financial flows across approval authorities, finance departments, implementing agencies, and private contractors becomes complex and inefficient. Key information such as who is responsible, the true cost of the project, and the tangible benefits to Bogotá remains difficult to consolidate in real time. As the volume of financial transactions grows with over 1,100 active public works projects, managing and analysing this data manually quickly overwhelms administrative teams, limiting their ability to detect irregularities or prevent misuse of funds.
Moreover, the absence of seamless data connectivity across these institutional actors’ limits collaborative oversight, undermining efforts to establish a comprehensive, real-time picture of financial accountability. While tools such as CoST, SIGOT, SECOP, and IDECA provide partial visibility, the current system lacks the full interoperability needed to “follow the money” at every stage of public infrastructure delivery.
Source: (Authors construct,2025)
Current State
Currently, Bogotas information on construction projects remains fragmented across multiple plaltforms, and while the CoST system contributes to transparency, it does not provide comprehensive financial traceability throughout the project life cycle. For major projects such as the TRANSMICABLE, there is insufficient visibility into financial flows at each stage, limiting the publics ability to “follow the money”. As a result, project delay persists, lines of responsibility remain ambiguous, and citizens lack clarity on who holds accountability for various aspects of project delivery. This highlights a significant gap in achieving full financial transparency and effective oversight in public infrastructure engagement.
Conceptualizing the problem
To gain a comprehensive understanding of the issue, we structured our conceptual framework around four core questions: what is the problem? Why does it require solutions? Who stands to benefit from its solution? How can it be effectively addressed?
Source: (Authors construct,2025)
Our value preposition
To address this challenge, we PROPOSE a DECENTRALIZED, IMMUTABLE BLOCKCHAIN LEDGER to record all financial transactions
From budget allocations for public works, contracts awards to payments of contractors
Why: This Transparent ledger allows citizens and oversight bodies to track funds in real-time, reducing the risk of fraud and builds trust between the citizens and the government.
Integration
- Integrate with the city’s Sistema de Information para la Gestion Financiera Pública (SIGFIP).
- Ensure Spanish-language interfaces for accessibility.
- Align with Bogotá’s smart city efforts through the Agencia Digital de Bogotá
2. USE MULTI-PARTY COMPUTATION (MPC) FOR SECURE COLLABORATION
Activity: Implement MPC to enable secure, privacy-preserving collaboration between agencies like the Secretaría de Hacienda and Instituto de Desarrollo Urbano on budget planning and expenditure analysis.
Why: MPC ensures agencies can verify financial data without exposing sensitive details, balancing transparency with privacy.
3. LEVERAGE CONFIDENTIAL COMPUTING FOR SECURE AUDITING
Activity: Use Confidential Computing to allow auditors, such as the Contraloría de Bogotá, to analyze encrypted financial data without decryption.
Why: This enables thorough audits while complying with Colombia’s data privacy laws (Ley 1581 de 2012), enhancing trust in public spending.
Integration
- Integrate with existing audit tools used by the Contraloría.
4. IMPLEMENT SMART CONTRACTS FOR AUTOMATED ACCOUNTABILITY
Activity: Deploy smart contracts on the blockchain to automate fund releases
Why: Automation reduces human interference, minimizing corruption
Integration
- Collaborate with local legal experts to align with Colombian contract law.
5. GENERAL INTEGRATION WITH BOGOTA’S EXISTING SYSTEM
Seamless integration ensures minimal disruption and faster adoption by city agencies.
6. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND TRAINING
- Host public forums to gather feedback and address concerns.
- Develop user-friendly dashboards in English and Spanish for public access.
- Partner with local tech hubs like HubBOG for training programs.
How our solution works
Source: (Authors construct,2025)
Future prospects
Integration into existing block chain technologies like partisia block chain
Team
Amma Agyemang Opoku
Nani Desmond
Alexandria Nakawunde
References
Gutiérrez, H., 2013. Colombia: Overview of corruption and anti-corruption. U4 Expert Answer, 10.
Lalinde, J.M. and Orozco, C.A.P., 2022. Transparency of local governments in Colombia: the case of the historical districts. Revista española de la transparencia, (14), pp.207-229.
Schommer, P.C. and Quiñonez, A.H., 2024. Accountability, equitable public services, and open government in Brazil and Colombia. Revista de Administração Pública, 58(5), pp.e2024-0008.