The DOBRE Programme advises on how hromadas can successfully develop within the digital space in the cycle of Digital Hromadas articles

What is the beginning of a modern strong hromada? There are, of course, many success factors, but it is the principle of openness that provides the basis for AH development in all spheres. The easiest way to demonstrate the transparency of your AH is to tell them in detail about it on the official website. Full and up-to-date information on the website will enhance the positive image of your AH among other hromadas and all stakeholders.

Whom is transparency important for?

• For residents. A transparent approach to communicating information about the hromada will save a lot of time for the residents. Imagine that citizens do not have to look for the right contacts or document on the website for hours, because everything is available in a structured form in a few clicks. This approach will build trust in hromada leadership and demonstrate to the residents that an honest and open team is working for them.
• For local business. It is important for local entrepreneurs to know what development opportunities are open to them in the hromada. Can the products or services be offered at a tender? Whom to communicate with regarding opening of a new outlet? It should be easy to find answers to all these questions on the website.
• For potential investors. It is worth remembering that nobody wants to buy a pig in a poke. Investors carefully evaluate the options for investing their own funds, so it is important to adhere to the principle of transparency and make all the business opportunities in hromada public. The honest and up-to-date information about your AH is a guarantee of investor’s interest and establishment of successful future partnerships.

To help hromadas show transparency, SocialBoost NGO, DOBRE’s technological partner, has created Dosvit, a platform that allows AHs to create their own human-centered websites in line with all modern IT standards. The platform also helps hromadas quickly set up basic applications that ensure its transparency and openness.

One such applications – ProZorro – allows the hromada to display complete information on public procurement. 

There are also possibilities of sorting, searching, and filtering for the right tenders. The general dynamics of purchases can be seen by everyone interested in the "Statistics" block, which visualises completed purchases, those canceled, and those that did not happen.

You can see how the app works in the Sofiyivska hromada at this link: https://sofotg.gov.ua/prozorro-tenders

Budget Simulator’s operation can be seen here: https://bit.ly/budgetsimulationotg

The full version is available in Ukrainian – please click HERE