HOW TO USE THE ITI  ·  4 min read

Using the ITI

The ITI gives you evidence.
Here is how to act on it.

Whether you are a government reformer, a civil society advocate, a donor, a regional body, a journalist, or a private sector actor, the ITI was designed to support your work. Each audience has a different entry point.

Six audiences. One evidence base.

Your score is a starting point, not a verdict.

Every ITI implementation produces a findings report with specific, actionable recommendations. Results are disaggregated to the level of individual procuring entities, covering typically 75–100% of the infrastructure budget in the study period.

Crane and concrete pipe at a construction site
Infrastructure construction context

GOVERNMENT & PROCURING ENTITIES

Choose your next reform priority

  1. Find and compare published results for your country, city or region.
  2. Read the recommendations behind weaker dimensions in the findings report.
  3. Agree an action, a responsible owner and a review date.
Explore results
More guidance

The ITI identifies where your country and institution are strong and where gaps exist across all four dimensions. Findings are precise enough to drive internal reform within specific ministries or agencies.

  • Identify your weakest dimension. That is where reform effort will have the greatest effect.
  • Benchmark against the global average and peer countries using the comparison tool.
  • Share results across departments. The ITI shows which entities need support.
  • Engage CoST to develop an improvement plan based on your findings.
  • Re-apply the ITI on a biennial basis to track whether reforms are working.

Photo: ObongBIG / Wikimedia Commons. Crop: CoST. CC BY-SA 4.0 licence

Empty road in Kampala
Public infrastructure context in Uganda

CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS

Build a question from evidence

  1. Download the relevant assessment report and identify a documented transparency gap.
  2. Check the evidence and recommendations before comparing results with other places.
  3. Ask the responsible institution a specific question and track its response.
Browse reports
More guidance

The ITI gives civil society a credible, independently produced evidence base for advocacy. Gaps in citizen participation or data publication are documented and quantifiable, not merely asserted.

  • Download the country report and identify specific weaknesses validated by multi-stakeholder processes.
  • Use the comparison tool to show whether your government is above or below the international average.
  • Engage formally in the ITI multi-stakeholder process: a direct channel for influencing reform.
  • Cite ITI results in advocacy materials and media outreach. The methodology is internationally recognised.

Photo: Ndahiro derrick / Wikimedia Commons. Crop: CoST. CC BY-SA 4.0 licence

ITI Uganda 2024 report cover
ITI country report excerpt: Uganda 2024

DONORS & DEVELOPMENT FINANCE

Bring governance evidence into design

  1. Read the findings report for the country or area you support.
  2. Identify transparency gaps that matter for programme design and monitoring.
  3. Discuss suitable actions and a review timetable with your programme partners.
Browse reports
More guidance

The ITI provides an objective, replicable measure of how well a country's infrastructure governance system supports transparency and accountability, addressing a specific gap for donors.

  • Pre-investment: use ITI scores to understand governance risk before committing to programmes.
  • Programme design: build ITI score improvement as a measurable milestone in results frameworks.
  • Portfolio monitoring: track ITI scores over time. The biennial cycle is designed for this.
  • Value for money: use the ITI as a consistent governance diagnostic alongside your existing assessment tools.

Report cover: CoST Uganda ITI Report 2024. Source: CoST resources.

Bridge and railway infrastructure
Regional infrastructure context

REGIONAL ECONOMIC COMMUNITIES

See shared gaps across countries

  1. Compare published results for countries or regions within your membership.
  2. Look for recurring gaps and read the recommendations behind them.
  3. Bring members together to discuss shared priorities and practical peer learning.
Compare countries
More guidance

The ITI scaling programme (2026–2031) is designed to work at regional scale, with ASEAN, the East African Community, and others as active partners.

  • Commission multi-country simultaneous assessments for a regional benchmarking dataset.
  • Produce a regional analytical report identifying shared transparency gaps and good practices.
  • Build peer learning platforms for governments to exchange reform experiences.
  • Contact CoST to explore a regional package tailored to your membership.

Photo: Antony Trivet / Wikimedia Commons. Crop: CoST. CC BY-SA 4.0 licence

Ghana ITI 2025 report cover
Ghana ITI report excerpt: 2025

JOURNALISTS & MEDIA

Start a story with a traceable source

  1. Find a published report for the place you are covering.
  2. Check the assessment date, evidence and recommendations behind the score.
  3. Ask the responsible institution for a response and CoST for clarification.
Find source material
More guidance

The ITI translates complex infrastructure governance into a comparable, trackable score. All data is publicly available, methodology is fully published, and CoST provides briefings for accurate reporting.

  • Rankings: which countries lead, which lag, and what specific gaps explain the difference?
  • Change over time: which countries improved most, and what reforms drove the change?
  • Commitment vs reality: does a government's published data actually meet international standards?
  • Local impact: individual ministry and agency scores are available for country-level reporting.

Report cover: CoST Ghana ITI Report 2025. Source: CoST resources.

Road construction worker
Road construction context

PRIVATE SECTOR ACTORS

Check the governance environment

  1. Find published results for the market you are considering entering.
  2. Read the procurement transparency findings alongside your other due diligence.
  3. Identify specific questions to raise with potential commercial partners before making a commitment.
Open the data
More guidance

For contractors, engineering companies, and private investors, the ITI provides an objective, independently produced measure of how transparent and accountable a country's infrastructure procurement system is before you engage.

  • Pre-bid due diligence: use ITI scores to assess procurement transparency and integrity risk in a new market.
  • Compare environments: benchmark countries where you operate or plan to invest against international standards.
  • Inform ESG and governance reporting: ITI data provides independently verified evidence on infrastructure governance.
  • Engage with reform: improved transparency reduces the cost and risk of doing business. Use the ITI to support that case.

Photo: EbenCoded / Wikimedia Commons. Crop: CoST. CC BY-SA 4.0 licence


For donors & development finance institutions

How the ITI complements frameworks you already use.

93
Indicators assessed across four dimensions of infrastructure transparency
Covering legal framework, proactive disclosure, data quality, and civic participation
2yr
Biennial cycle: designed for portfolio monitoring across partner countries
75–100%
Of national infrastructure budget typically covered by assessed procuring entities

IMF PIMA

Assesses public investment management systems upstream. The ITI adds an implementation-level layer: how transparency actually operates in practice.

World Bank IGA

Analyses governance arrangements. The ITI adds standardised, cross-country transparency benchmarks at procuring entity level.

OECD Indicators

Cover policy frameworks. The ITI contributes evidence on implementation, data publication, and citizen access, which are not captured at policy level.

Story angles

For journalists: four angles the ITI data supports.

All country results, reports and datasets are freely available. For media enquiries: CoST@infrastructuretransparency.org

Rankings & comparisons

Which countries lead and which lag, and what specific gaps explain the difference?

Change over time

Which countries have improved most between ITI cycles, and what reforms drove the change?

Commitment vs reality

Does a government's published data actually meet international standards?

Local impact

Country reports assess individual procuring entities: the specific ministries responsible for delivering infrastructure.

Ready to use the ITI in your work?

Explore country results, download reports, or get in touch to discuss applying the ITI in your country or region.