What problem are you solving?:

In SLO only few NGO from Ljubljana participate in process of sustainable development. Yet the support to civil society located in other regions in Slovenia does not achieve basic standards of civil society being in the proces of decision making about environment and nature. That is evident in low cooperation and contribution to the solutions of local environmental NGO and individuals to local environmental issues. Regional and local NGOs are ignored in the process of decision making. Only organizations from Ljubljana and its surrounding are able to influence decision making process, although they do not have direct contacts with local residents and local nature and environment.
So other parts and regions of Slovenia must actively follow global environmental changes and gain an opportunity to participate in decision making process that would contribute to preservation of our nature and environment.

Describe your idea:

The idea is to connect all environmental NGOs, local initiatives and other interested individuals in one virtual place that would not be focused only to Ljubljana region but to the whole Slovenia
This site would be a tool:
– To create proposals and actions for solving of environmental issues
– For cooperation and contribution in preparation of environmental strategies and policy at all regions of Slovenia
– To communicate with general population, local authorities, ministry and government and mass media
– To rise awareness of importance of participation and finally to rise environmental awareness, which is now days so important.

What country will this operate in?: Slovenia

Who are you?:

Well, I am a very ‘green’ person trying to make a difference in my home town and its surroundings. I am highly aware of environmental challenges we are all facing and I am sure that only together we can contribute and make something good for other people end environment we are living in. I am an active member of a local environmental organization. I have also established a non-profit organization FuturaNatura, with a main reason to raise ecological awareness of people, believing that little actions (like turning off the light) can bring a positive input to the environment.
I believe that everybody should have an opportunity to participate and to be heard. With that reason I am asking you kindly to help me/us set up this page.

What problem are you solving?:

Slovenia has put into place laws and procedures to ensure transparent operation of public tendering and procurement processes. Unfortunately, this does not appear to function very well. Among expert observers, there is widely held belief that abuse is endemic, if not universal. On a superficial level, procedures seem to be maintained, but behind the facade, there does not seem to be a public procurement without a previously agreed outcome. Consequently, procurement tenders frequently specify absurd requirements, unrealistic deadlines, unnecessary documentation etc. Foreign bidders have already given up, as they have no chance of actually winning such tenders.

Corruption is definitely a large part of this problem, but there is also an acute lack of knowledge and an underdeveloped business culture that needs to be dealt with.

Describe your idea:

The idea is to set up a site, which will be an open forum to discuss published public tenders. Experts and the public will participate in dissecting tender requirements, highlighting best and worst practices and encouraging improvements. The site would track the procedure from beginning to end, including the complaint and implementation phases. It will also gather statistical information. The goal is to end up with transparency indexes for individual agencies and departments, both to encourage good work as well as to shame offenders. It is hoped that the site would eventually attract the attention of the press and become an influential source of information on the state of public tendering in the country.

By highlighting this problem, we hope to open a public discussion and push for more transparency in this area. We aim to encourage people to seek a general solution, based on fairness and merit which would benefit society, instead of just seeking to get around a flawed system.

What country will this operate in?: Slovenia

Who are you?:

I am an IT professional with 30 years experience in the field. Having participated on both sides of the public tendering process for many years, I would very much like to help push towards a more open and transparent approach compared to current practices in our country. I also have the necessary technical background and propose that the site be built using the Liferay open source portal platform.