The application of the City of Bogotá to CoST further strengthens the commitment of the City to open government and infrastructure transparency and accountability. We are delighted to work with the City as it builds back from Covid-19 and applies the CoST approach across several high value projects

Evelyn Hernandez, Head of Members and Affiliates, CoST International Secretariat.

 

CoST Bogotá: How it all began

The City of Bogotá joined CoST in February 2021 with an ambitious plan to improve high value infrastructure projects. The City’s membership to CoST aligns with a broader reform package overseen by a newly established Transparency Committee which focusses on promoting integrity in projects which ensure positive social, environmental and economic outcomes. CoST Bogotá will also be able to build on existing policy and legal requirements which mandate disclosure on most of the data points included in the CoST Infrastructure Data Standard.

Funded by the Mayor’s Office of Bogota and supported by the CoST International Secretariat, in its initial phase the programme will focus on projects from health, water and transport sectors which equate to US$7.3 billion and include the City’s new metro line currently under construction.

As part of their application to the CoST Board, the City of Bogotá submitted an implementation plan demonstrating ambitious and comprehensive intentions to set in motion the core features of CoST, including details relating to its multi-stakeholder oversight, the design and roll out of the CoST disclosure process, management arrangements and training for the procuring entities of projects.

The CoST Bogotá programme was launched at a high-level event in March 2021, which brought together speakers from CAF (the development bank of Latin America) and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The event highlighted international support for Bogotá’s CoST membership and its significance in advancing the City’s transparency goals. Watch the full video of the launch below (in Spanish).

 

What’s next for CoST Bogotá 

CoST Bogotá will initially publish information on eight major projects spanning water and sanitation, transport, and healthcare. They include the construction of Bogotá’s first metro line, a long-delayed project which will ultimately transport up to 72,000 passengers per hour in each direction. Disclosure in line with the CoST approach will increase transparency and accountability throughout the implementation of these high-value projects, ensuring public funds are spent efficiently and reducing the risk of costly delays.