26 May 2025

Organization’s profile

The Open Contracting Partnership is an independent non-profit public charity 501(c)(3) working in over 50 countries.

We make sure public money is spent openly, fairly and effectively on public contracts, delivering fundamentally better public spending outcomes that benefit society.

Our staff live in the communities we serve and together possess deep expertise in public procurement, open data and technology, and change management.

Open Contracting Partnership helps transform procurement from an overlooked, underfunded paper-based chore to a digital, data-driven government service that can be an engine for innovation, sustainability and economic inclusion.

www.open-contracting.org

Organization’s experience

OCP has supported UNCAC Coalition members working on public procurement – government’s number 1 corruption risk – to strengthen and implement open data on public contracts and conduct monitoring both on digital transformation but also on specific thematic topics such as health/medicines, infrastructure and environment.

OCP also brought together CSOs working on procurement to inform and advocate for the first-ever dedicated resolution on public procurement at the CoSP10 successfully, securing a strong text with reference to CSO engagement, and is currently engaging CSOs on follow up and implementation of the deliverables, including new guidelines.

Top 3 priorities to achieve as a CCC Member

1. Increasing the diversity and scale of CSO representation at the COSP and UNCAC working group meetings, especially from the Global South and regions that are not as well represented. This is a combination of travel funding, visas (enough time for applications and choice of host country) and creating meaningful engagement opportunities with states’ delegations, not just side events where CSOs present to each other.
2. Defending civic space through the multilateral system by expanding the group of states parties supporting CSOs’ right to participate, but also by increasing the visibility of the concrete ways CSOs add value to UNCAC implementation – civic monitoring, policy thought leadership, subject matter expertise, etc.
3. Fundraising and resources. Working with members to address the growing problem of financial resources for anticorruption work, both by using the UNCAC forum to encourage states to continue or expand bilateral support for CSOs and advocacy and exploring new partnerships or funding models and exchange peer learning on how we secure sufficient funds for members and make the case for the value of our collective work as a funding priority in the new political landscape.

Candidate’s profile

Kristen leads Open Contracting Partnership’s advocacy, building on her 15 years’ experience in policy advocacy, strategic communications and campaigning. She is passionate about all things open government, open tech and open data, having previously served as Communications and Campaigns Director at the Web Foundation.

At the Web Foundation, she drove multi-stakeholder coalition building, policy advocacy campaigns and media relations work with a focus on normative and narrative change. She managed external communications for web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

She has consulted and advised a number of NGOs, multilateral organizations, governments and businesses on their public reputation and external affairs, including high stakes crises in the areas of peace and security, financial crime and corruption. Her consultancy clients have included: Kofi Annan Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Africa Progress Panel, Google, Orange, The Elders, Omidyar Network, Millicom, UN Women, UN Population Fund and a number of governments in the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.

Kristen began her career with roles for the US and German governments in investment and trade promotion, with stints in Mexico City and Shanghai. She graduated from the London School of Economics with an MSc in International Political Economy with merit, and speaks Spanish, French and German proficiently.

Contributions to the work of the Coalition

I would like to continue to contribute experience in building coalitions, working in government diplomacy, drafting and securing UN resolutions, navigating UN bureaucracy, communications and advocacy with a focus on preparing for COSP 11 and building a broader coalition of states who support our goals. I would also continue in my role as Ombudsperson for the UNCAC Coalition staff members and continue to offer subject matter expertise on procurement and open contracting to the broader members.

Candidacy & Interest Disclosure