Ian Makgill – Founder, Open Opportunities
Ian Makgill is the Founder and Managing Director of Open Opportunities, a leading organisation dedicated to transparency and open data in global public procurement.
Ian has led the development of one of the world’s largest open datasets on government spending and contracting. The platform, born from his frustration with the inaccessibility of official procurement data, now hosts information on trillions of pounds in public expenditure and millions of tender documents. His work has been part of the Open Data Institute’s Start-Up Programme and is widely cited in UK open-data policy circles.
Ian created Open Opportunities (OpenOpps.com)—the world’s largest repository of Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) tender notices, publishing over 10,000 new records per day and powering APIs used by the UK Department for International Trade and other organisations. His work has supported governments in the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Colombia and Indonesia, as well as international institutions including the OECD and the Inter-American Development Bank. Ian has advised governments from Colombia to Indonesia on how to implement and improve procurement data systems, to combat corruption, improve efficiency and reduce carbon.
Beyond entrepreneurship, Ian is a recognised open-data researcher and advocate. He has contributed to landmark studies on procurement transparency, including for the Institute for Government and the UK Information Commissioner’s Office, and serves as an advisor to the Open Contracting Partnership.
His analysis and commentary on open government and procurement reform have appeared in The Financial Times, The Times, The Telegraph, The Economist, and The Spectator.
Academic and Research Contributions
Ian has collaborated extensively with academic researchers on the economics and social impact of open data. His company’s datasets are regularly used in scholarly work on procurement transparency and corruption reduction. Ian has written and presented on the use of data to improve public procurement, he has a particular interest in using open data to reduce CO2 emissions. Ian sat on the UK Government’s Open Data User Group and continues to make the case for transparency in contracting and spending around the world.
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