The Panama government highlighted coordination, adaptability, and interoperability as the key benefits of SOURCE

In the recent SOURCE Community meeting, the government of Panama showcased its implementation of the SOURCE platform, presenting its Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework and demonstrating the country’s use case of the platform. This integration marks a transformative step in making  PPP project management in the country more transparent, efficient, and well-coordinated.

The motivation behind the Implementation of SOURCE:

Panama’s decision to adopt the SOURCE platform was based on several reasons that focused addressing key challenges and unlocking opportunities within the PPP landscape. The main reasons were:

• Monitoring and transparency through the digitalisation of the processes defined in Panama’s legal framework.
• Facilitate inter-institutional coordination and the participation of consultants.
• Connect the SOURCE platform with their internal monitoring system for information transfer and avoid double data entry.
• Evaluate project documentation and promote projects on a well-structured and standardised basis.
• Provide standardised and promote quality information to the private sector.
• Facilitate decision-making and capital raising.
• Improving the consistency and accuracy of project documentation for better risk management of PPP contracts.

Key Milestones Achieved in the Integration Process:

A noteworthy achievement highlighted during the presentation was SOURCE’s interoperability with Panama’s internal IT system. This integration, financed by the InterAmerican Development Bank (IADB), demonstrates Panama’s commitment to technological advancement and enhances the efficacy of existing systems by leveraging SOURCE’s capabilities.

Moreover, digitalising Panama’s PPP processes into SOURCE and creating a comprehensive user guide has facilitated user adoption and the effective use of the platform. Another significant benefit offered by SOURCE is its capability to manage and monitor the implementation of contracts.

Additionally, SOURCE’s ability to assist contracting authorities (CA) in assessing projects against the national methodology and international standards represents a step towards improving institutional capabilities, supporting capacity building and fostering sustainable PPP practices.

Lessons Learned and Future Implications:

Reflecting on the SOURCE integration process, Panama identified three key lessons that are essential for the adoption and use of the platform:

1. Involvement of all stakeholders: The inclusion of the operations, legal, and financial teams in the integration process, proved to be a fundamental prerequisite for successful integration.
2. Interoperability: Effective communication and the integration of SOURCE with complementary IT systems was the key in ensuring overall system efficacy and user satisfaction.
3. Adaptability: Customising SOURCE to align with Panama’s PPP framework terminology, milestones, and process timeline was essential for optimising the platform’s relevance and usability.

The SOURCE Community and next steps:

The SOURCE Community convenes 10 member countries that have either finalised the implementation of SOURCE or successfully finished the pilot phase. The next SOURCE Community meeting is scheduled for April 16^th, 2024.

Country members are: