Let's Hack the Competition Documents

Come design a digital solution for the Public Procurement Office that will automatically search for and generate customized sample competition documents and general terms and conditions, while allowing selection between simple and modular competition documents.

Prize money for the winner: 3000 €
21st - 22nd June, 2024
SKY PARK Offices, Bratislava

Registration closed

Aftermovie

Initial situation

In the preparation of each public procurement, the public procurer or procurer has to start from scratch and invest significant personnel and financial resources into preparing basic documents, which are already commonly available in standardized forms in several EU member states. Every year in the Slovak Republic, thousands of new competition documents or general terms and conditions are created. Often, public procurers create these documents anew, without standardized content or appropriate form, leading to errors, outdated documents, and content.

In the fight against the administrative complexity of the public procurement process, the goal of the office is to provide public procurers with a digital solution, such as an IT application, to improve processes, modernize, digitize, and increase the efficiency of selected processes within public procurement. The preparation of a digital solution for the aforementioned key public procurement documents, as an outcome of the hackathon, aims to significantly relieve the professional capacities of public procurers, as a substantial part of the documents will be pre-prepared. In the current public procurement system, there is no equivalent or similar electronic tool, and the success of reducing administrative complexity depends on its existence.

Aim of the hackathon

To find the most efficient and simultaneously the simplest digital solution focused on the automatic search and generation of customized sample competition documents and general terms and conditions, which will ensure support services for public procurement and reduce the administrative burden on public procurers.

Challenge of the hackathon

Design a digital solution that will automatically search for and generate customized sample competition documents and general terms and conditions, while allowing selection between simple and modular competition documents.

Registration closed

Expected solution

The proposed solution should automatically search and generate suitable documents from a defined existing database based on predefined user needs and dynamically adapt selected parts of the model tender documents (TDS) and general terms and conditions (GTC).

Expected components of the concept:

Definition of link to the public portal
Design of the method of generating output data from the system
Registration obligation of users
Identification and technical links between parts of model SPs and model contracts
Possibility of dynamic adaptation to legislative changes
Intuitiveness and easy operation
Possibility of further development and actualization

Registration closed

Winners

First place
Team FIIT STU

Their winning solution is a digital platform that automates the creation and management of model tender documents and general terms and conditions. It enables automatic document generation, provides alerts on errors and legislative changes, and offers comprehensive statistics for public procurement. The solution reduces the administrative burden for contracting authorities and increases the transparency of the whole process.

“From the beginning we had a vision of how we wanted to pull this off, we had a proposal. But gradually, during meetings with mentors, we adjusted the direction in which it would be appropriate to move. The mentors were able to scale and guide us precisely,” Matúš Koleják evaluated the importance of the mentoring discussions.

Second place
Team Lwíčkovci

The solution they have proposed aims to simplify the process of creating model tender documents for both the Authority and contracting authorities. They also focused on UI and UX design, which is critical in this process, and several smaller functionalities that help both parties to make their work easier and store information that they would otherwise have to duplicate each time. Also included are a wide variety of tools to help officials work with the data as well as the template documents themselves. After the hackathon, we asked them what shifts they had seen in their teams.

“At the last hackathon, some of us were just seeing each other for the first time, but today we all found our roles,” explained Adam Tížik. “Everyone’s role has shaped up more, so we can complement each other better,” added Matej Kuka.

Third place
Team Carameet

Their solution automates and therefore speeds up the procurement process and also reduces errors by providing hints to the contracting authority. The creation of the RFP is done using simple machine learning, which adds duplicate data and automatically generates additional annexes such as contracts and general terms and conditions. Once the most up-to-date tender conditions have been uploaded by the Public Procurement Office, simple machine learning can, from a correctly formatted document, create a form for the contracting authority. Officials also provide up-to-date support materials, such as directives, interpretations of laws, relevant sections, and so on, from which the intelligent assistant generates hints for the procuring entity when it is unsure of the answer. In addition to this foundation, the Carameet team has also added a help chat with FAQs, a dashboard with examples of good VO practice, and an analytics dashboard for the Office with data on the usage of the platform.

“I see the announcement of the results of each hackathon as a lottery. Each topic, the jury and the solutions presented are so specific that you don’t really have a chance to guess the outcome. In the past, I’ve walked away from hacks either brutally happy or brutally sad. Today, I realize that it’s subjective and specific to the situation. I see a shift in myself. I can understand what the jury liked about the other teams, why it made more sense to them in the context of the theme of the event,” said Lucia Drobná after the results were announced.

List of Mentors and Experts

Lucia Lanáková

Project manager

Lucia worked in the Department of Strategy and Project Management at Bratislava Staré Mesto, where she actively participated in the development of the city district by preparing and implementing strategic documents and development projects. With over 15 years of experience, she has been dedicated to the preparation and execution of development projects within both the …

Peter Polakovič

IT Specialist, Digital Agenda Department, Public Procurement Office

Peter has been working in the IT field for over 20 years in various positions ranging from frontend/backend programmer, IT analyst, and DB specialist to project management. He spent his entire professional career in private IT companies. Currently, he works at the Public Procurement Office in the Department of Digital Agenda, focusing on IT projects, operational support, …

Michal Mertiňák

Founder, EMEM Consulting s.r.o.

Consultant and founder of EMEM Consulting s.r.o., Michal has over 14 years of experience in public procurement, providing non-repayable financial contributions from EU funds, and legal advice in these areas. Throughout his career, he has worked in the public sector as a public procurement auditor or as an executor of many public procurements within the Social …

Martin Nociar

Procurement Expert, Department of Education and Socially Responsible Public Procurement, Public Procurement Office

Martin is an expert in the field of public procurement. He currently works as the Chief State Advisor at the Public Procurement Office. Previously, he served as the General State Advisor at the Ministry of Investment, Regional Development, and Informatization of the Slovak Republic, and as the State Advisor at the Office of Geodesy, Cartography, and Cadastre of the Slovak …

Róbert Angyal

Procurement Expert, Department of Education and Socially Responsible Public Procurement, Public Procurement Office

Róbert has been working in the field of public procurement for over 10 years. He works as the Chief State Advisor in the Department of Education and Socially Responsible Public Procurement at the Public Procurement Office. He is currently involved in the project "Support for the Use of Innovative Forms, Tools, and Processes of Public Procurement for Smart Cities and …

Martin Nemeček

Chief Technology Officer, Kiuub

Martin comes from the startup world. As a startup scout, he worked for the venture capital fund ZAKA, and at katalyst, he and his partners invest in promising projects. Currently, he focuses on no-code development at Kiuub Studio, which forms an external product team for companies and non-technical founders. He trains presentation skills and, as a winner of several …

Martin Korček

Senior developer and project manager, QPC s.r.o.

Martin is a graduate in the field of IT management with deep knowledge of information technologies and their effective management. Currently, he works as a consultant and IT solutions architect, where he leverages his professional skills and experience to design and implement complex information systems. His goal is to assist companies in achieving their IT objectives and …

Peter Remiš

Consultant MIRRI SR

Peter is a fan of digital technologies and innovations.He is actively engaged in designing and developing web applications, portals, online solutions, as well as online marketing. At MIRRI, he is currently working on creating functional prototypes for citizens' real-life situations and collaborating on projects aimed at developing IT systems for public administration. In …

Tomáš Ludwig

UX Expert, jabono s.r.o. | MIRRI SR

Tomáš is dedicated to business process analysis, UX design, and software, web, and mobile application prototyping in the UX company jabono. Additionally, he works as a consultant for the mass deployment of Apple technologies in schools and businesses. Currently, he is working at MIRRI on prototyping designs for selected citizen life situations and expanding the ID-SK …

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is behind the Hackathon?

The owner of the topics of the Hackathon is the Municipal region of Banska Bystrica.

How is the "team" defined?

The minimum of 2 people including a speaker e.g. a person that will present the idea, and understands the business and the challenge; and a tech expert who is able to create a prototype or a clickable version of the application / web / product.

What are the ideal roles for our hackathons?

The goal of our hackathons isn’t to program an entire solution but to develop a comprehensive concept. It’s crucial to focus on the feasibility of the solution during its creation and presentation, as this heavily influences the jury’s decision on the winning project. Before arriving at the hackathon, define the roles within your team. Leverage each member’s strengths to save time and avoid conflicts. One person can take on multiple roles, but having clarity helps.

Analyst
Thinks analytically and can quickly understand and map out processes or data structures. Often, technical problems stem from flawed processes, so it’s beneficial to outline, comprehend, and propose adjustments to these processes before suggesting a technical solution.
Designer
Understands the design process and knows that a picture is worth a thousand words. By creating sketches or wireframes, the designer quickly brings the proposed product to life. This makes it easier to iterate on ideas and test solutions with users. Whether you stick to sketches or refine the design, it’s an excellent way to present your product.
IT specialist
Has a strong grasp of technical matters. If you’re designing a software product, this could be a software architect or developer who outlines the technical architecture of the solution. While coding is a plus, it’s not the primary goal. If you decide to code, focus on components that can be completed within the timeframe and set you apart from the competition.
Product manager
Rozumie biznis potrebám a problémom zákazníka. Spoluprácou a spájaním informácií od ostatných členov tímu potom smeruje výsledný produkt tak, aby riešil problémy ako zákazníka, tak aj koncového používateľa a bol realizovateľný v stanovenom čase a rozpočte.
Salesperson
Actively communicates and represents your team during the hackathon, especially when presenting your product to the jury. They believe in the product, can highlight its strengths, address customer business problems, and emphasize the benefits for end users.

Can I change the team composition during the hackathon?

The team composition can be changed before the hackathon. However, it remains fixed during the hackathon, meaning that no new team members whose names or email addresses were not provided during registration or check-in on the event’s opening day can be added after the official registration and check-in.

What will happen after filling out the application?

As soon as you submit your application, a member of the hacknime.to team will contact you within 24 hours (either by email or by phone) with further information and the procedure.

Can I be not selected for the hackathon?

If you register after the capacity is full or you will not match the criteria for the participating teams, you will not be chosen as the participant.

What are the selection criteria for contestants? What do I have to fulfill?

The basic scoring scale includes:

Experience in the IT and TECH industry or
Experience in design thinking procedures or
Experience in the so-called sprint procedures, SCRUM master certificate or
Experience in drawing up business plans, new businesses, creating prototypes or MVP or
You are a high school student focused on computer technologies, economics, business or design (both product and digital) or
You are a student of a university focused on computer technologies, economics, business or design (both product and digital)
If you do not meet any of the above criteria, you can still prove that you have personally participated in at least two hackathons in the past (it is necessary to prove the output of these events)

If as an adept (or combined your team) meets at least two requirements from the above criteria, you have the right to participate in the hackathon. The more requirements you fulfill, you move up in the ranking.

What is a conflict of interest?

A conflict of interest represents a situation where a personal interest motivates or could motivate a judge/mentor/organizer employee/topic owner/competitor to act against the best interests of the hackathon. Involvement of these individuals in activities where a conflict of interest occurs or may occur is not allowed. Such activities include:

Influencing mentors and judges to gain an advantage for themselves or a close person, financially or otherwise,
Influencing individuals working for the organizer, the ministry, or a company with a supplier or partner relationship with the organizer,
Intentional modification of solutions by mentors or possible one-sided mentoring in favor of some participants,
Formation of a competition team by a mentor, judge, or person working for the organizer, topic owner, or the ministry,
and others.

If a participant identifies a conflict of interest, they are required to immediately and verifiably inform about the conflict of interest. If a participant fails to report circumstances that could lead to a conflict of interest, this fact will itself constitute a violation of these principles and may result in the disqualification of the competition team at the hackathon. The decision on disqualification is made by the organizer.

Can I participate in the event if I am under 18 years old?

A person under 18 years of age may participate in the event only after completing and submitting a parental/legal guardian consent form to the organizer or when accompanied by a parent/legal guardian throughout the entire duration of the event.

When is the deadline for registration?

Teams or individuals will be able to register until June 19th, 2024, or until the maximum capacity is reached.

Is there capacity for the attendees?

The attendee capacity is up to 60 people.

How will the best solution be evaluated at the hackathon?

Task Fulfillment / Relevance / Functionality:

Score by the jury: 1 to 35
The solution / POC / MVP / Software relates to the theme of the hackathon and the defined challenges.
The solution / POC / MVP / Software works and meets at least the basic user functions.

Idea / Originality, Uniqueness, Creativity

Score by the jury: 1 to 10
How creative is the idea behind the solution / POC / MVP / Software?
How original is the solution / POC / MVP / Software?
Is it something that hasn’t been done before, and unique compared to competitors?

User Experience / Added Value (or technical design for solutions without a frontend)

Score by the jury: 1 to 15
Is the overall user experience intuitive?
Does the solution / POC / MVP / Software make sense from a UX perspective?
What will be the impact (in terms of scope) and added value of the solution / POC / MVP / Software for the target audience?

Feasibility / Implementability / Viability

Score by the jury: 1 to 35
Does the solution / POC / MVP / Software actually work? Is the solution / POC / MVP / Software easy to scale?
Is there potential for the solution to be realized with the resources that are realistically available?
How relevant and applicable is the use of the solution / POC / MVP / Software for solving the given challenge?

Presentation to the Jury

Score by the jury: 1 to 5
Quality of the presentation, visual aspects, content, and delivery in an engaging manner.

The maximum number of points a team can earn is 100.

What happens if the participating team comes to the hackathon with a pre-prepared solution?

The organizer and owner of the hackathon theme has the motivation to bring, based on the innovative hackathon event, new solutions for our company, improvement of existing available solutions or otherwise innovate the current state. The competition team can come to the hackathon with a ready-made solution, but it must be visibly demonstrated that, thanks to the hackathon, consultations with mentors and experts, the transformation of its ready-made solution into the final form for the requirements of the Topic Owner took place.

Can I be disqualified?

A team may be disqualified by the organizer if caught cheating, copying solutions from other teams, making audio or video recordings, plagiarism, or any other form of copying from other teams, misusing information from other teams, illegally obtaining data from other teams, creating content with the intention of harming other participants, or otherwise violating the ethics of the competition. Anyone who witnesses unfair behavior must inform the organizer.

Suspicion of disqualification can be reported by members of the competition teams, mentors, or the theme owner’s team or the Organizer. Suspicion of unfair behavior must be reported personally to the Organizer. The team or team member who has violated the rules will be asked to leave the hacking area. To ensure the smooth progress and continuation of the hackathon, the disqualification of a team will be announced to other participants during the next break.

Can I withdraw my team during the hackathon?

Teams can withdraw at any time during the hackathon. Merging of teams is not allowed after the initial check-in of the teams. A team that wishes to withdraw must notify the organizer in person.

Is it possible to hack both physically and online during the event?

For the physical hackathon, in-person attendance of the team is required. However, in case of need or personal circumstances, it is possible for a team member to participate and hack online.

Is there a fee for attending the hackathon?

Participation is free of charge. All costs are covered by the organizer.

Can the hacking continue during the night?

Yes, participants will be allowed to continue hacking during the night.

The organizer does not provide sleeping bags, mattresses, beds, or other accommodation directly at the hackathon venue. Drinking water and showers are available throughout the entire hackathon. Each competing team is assigned one access card, allowing them to enter and exit the designated hacking area at any time during the event.

What is required from the attendee and what will be available in the premises?

Each participant needs to bring his / her own laptop or any other hardware that he / she needs to work on challenges. Other things will be provided by the organizer such as WiFi, food for the whole day (buffets, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks).

What is the official language of the hackathon?

The official language is Slovak. However, some keynote lectures and workshops may also be held in English.

Is there any catering during the event?

The hackathon organizer guarantees full meals and snacks throughout the entire event in the form of buffets. Drinks are provided as well.

Prize money pre víťazné tímy

Prvé tri miesta, ktoré porota vyhodnotí ako najlepšie budú ocenené prize money nasledovne:

Prvé miesto : 3000 Eur
Druhé miesto: 2000 Eur
Tretie miesto: 1000 Eur

What will happen after the hackathon in case I win?

Winning teams will have a chance to participate in the development and implementation of the solution in cooperation with the topic owner.

What does it mean to win a hackathon and what are my requirements afterward?

The winning teams enter into a licensing agreement for their solutions developed during the hackathon (the license applies only to what was created during the hackathon). This is a non-exclusive license that is limited to the territory of the Slovak Republic and is unlimited in time. This means, it does not limit the author at all in the dissemination of his work as part of his commercial activities. On the contrary, the owner of the topic (always a public administration institution) is authorized to distribute the license in the interest of the economy within public institutions. The author remains the owner of the work, the owner of the topic has only such a non-exclusive license. In addition, if the winning teams do not agree on the implementation of the winning solution with the Theme Owner, the winning prize money may not be returned to the Organizer.

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Do you want to be part of the next step towards Slovakia’s digitalization?

Prize money

First place 3 000 €
Second place 2 000 €
Third place 1 000 €

Simply fill out the registration form, and we will contact you in due time with all the details. You will receive information about the competition, updates, and specifics of the challenge.