# Tender Defender – Cards on the Table! URL: https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/integrity-pacts-game Type: Publication or report Published: 2021-08-26 Updated: 2022-07-28 --- 26 August 2021 The European Union (EU) and national governments allocate billions of euros every year to finance public projects such as schools, hospitals, power stations and dams. With investments on this scale, there are major risks for widespread corruption. Corrupt companies with political connections can win tenders over their competitors. In other cases, companies within the same industry collude and rig the bidding process, so each gets a piece of the pie. This can result in the cost of public services going up by as much as 50 per cent. It’s estimated that corruption in public procurement alone costs EU citizens up to 5 billion euros every year. Civil society organisations and the public can play their part in turning things around by asking for more transparency and integrity in the management of public funds. But that’s not all: the public can be actively involved in monitoring public procurement with tools like [Integrity Pacts](https://www.transparency.org/en/projects/integritypacts). Tender Defender is a board game that helps civil society groups, journalists, activists, and others learn about public procurement and identify corruption risks that may arise. Through the eyes of a company director or a procurement department officer, players become better aware of just how important it is to uphold transparency and accountability in the public contracting process. They also gain a better understanding of ways to fight corruption. Anyone can play the game: just download it and print it out. **On your marks, get set, go!** ## Additional downloads - [Download 'Tender Defender materiale gioco IT' \[ZIP\]](https://files.transparencycdn.org/images/Tender-Defender-materiale-gioco-IT.zip) - [Download 'Tender Defender game materials EL' \[PDF\]](https://files.transparencycdn.org/images/Tender-Defender-game-materials-EL.pdf) ### Related publications ## [Monitoring political finance: Compendium of citizen initiatives and good practices](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/monitoring-political-finance-compendium-of-citizen-initiatives-and-good-practices) Publication • 18 August 2026 This compendium aims to provide ideas for stakeholders interested in monitoring political finance. It presents seven monitoring and disclosure solutions from around the world,… ## [Breaking the Silos: A Practical Guide to Fighting Corruption with a Human Rights-Based Approach](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/breaking-the-silos-a-practical-guide-to-fighting-corruption-with-a-human-rights-based-approach) Publication • 25 June 2026 This guide seeks to equip human rights defenders and anti-corruption advocates with practical tools to promote accountability for corrupt acts. ## [The Integrity Pact – Harnessing collective action for good governance and business integrity in public procurement](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/integrity-pact-collective-action-good-governance-business-integrity-public-procurement) Publication • 16 December 2024 The publication provides a blueprint for the implementation of the Integrity Pact to safeguard high-value public procurements and investments. ## [Business integrity: A toolkit for medium-sized enterprises](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/business-integrity-toolkit-for-medium-sized-enterprises) Publication • 07 November 2024 Small and medium-sized enterprises fuel supply chains but face corruption risks. This toolkit helps embed integrity with practical anti-corruption guidance. ## Projects - [Integrity Pacts – Civil Control Mechanism for Safeguarding EU Funds](https://www.transparency.org/en/projects/integritypacts) ![Cover of tender defender came](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/cover-IP-game_2021-08-30-104411_hvqy.PNG?auto=compress&fit=crop&fm=webp&w=1200) [Download](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/Tender-Defender-game-materials-EN.pdf)