The primary purpose of this manual is to provide guidance for designing and strengthening data publication processes that ensure the timely and reliable disclosure of data by public infrastructure procuring entities, both proactively and reactively.

A secondary objective is that the publication through a public channel complies with the CoST IDS or the OC4IDS, at the national or sub-national level, and that this becomes one of the main sources for anyone who wants to use the data. Such users may include contract monitors, journalists, oversight authorities, independent review professionals or teams applying the CoST Independent Review Manual or the CoST Infrastructure Transparency Index Manual.

The manual contains guidance and useful tools for anyone with an interest in or responsibility for the data publication process. However, it is primarily aimed at members of CoST secretariats and the multi-stakeholder groups that will support the design and implementation of publication processes in conjunction with procuring entities responsible for publishing data.

This March 2026 edition replaces the 2021 publication.