[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

Kazakhstan Pilot for Health Services Procurement on Cardano

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

100000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

10

[Proposal Summary] Translation Information

Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated

No

Original Language

en

[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement

What is the problem you want to solve?

Kazakhstan’s State Social Procurement (SSP) funds NGOs to deliver essential services, e.g. combatting HIV and tuberculosis, but suffers low transparency, slow payments, and fragmentation.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.06801
,
• https://github.com/Consortium-WIDE
,
• https://www.undp.org/eurasia/blog/blockchain-hiv-bigideas
,
• https://undp-capacitydevelopmentforhealth.org/category/capacity-development-process/transitioning-programmes-government/social-contracting/
,
• https://www.undp.org/eurasia/stories/changing-lives#:~:text=However%2C%20social%20contracting%20in%20Kyrgyzstan,Eastern%20Europe%20and%20Central%20Asia

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

No dependencies

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

Yes

License and Additional Information

Yes, the platform code, smart contracts, and training materials will be released under an MIT licence on Github, enabling reuse in other public procurement contexts. Reports and publications will be provided as open-access. ACURRAENT strongly identifies with the principles of free and open-source software and has extensive experience contributing to FOSS projects.

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal.

Healthcare

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously funded (whether by you or others).

No Blockchain-based procurement tools have been piloted in Kazakhstan, but could have outsized impact for SSP in the health sector and UNDPs mission. Although UNDP × Cardano collaborations like the Blockchain Initiative for City and Industry Networks (Fund 12) and the EMURGO LM × UNDP Accelerator (Fund 13) have established project pipelines, they have not delivered operational systems directly used by UNDP and recipient governments. This proposal fills that gap while opening Central Asia a new geography for Cardano, as well as applying it to a high-stakes domain of health service delivery.

Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.

Deployed on Cardano test- and mainnet with a public frontend, the MVP will demonstrate how government-linked infrastructure can interface with Cardano to transparently manage procurement contracts using following features:

1. Contract registry for SSP health projects in selected districts in Kazakhstan
2. Smart contracts that release funds automatically with pre-defined service delivery conditions
3. Integration with selected government datasets
4. A release mechanism for funding
5. A feedback/ reporting module for NGOs and beneficiaries
6. A funding view that maps the entire landscape

Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.

On-chain

During the pilot the smart contracts are deployed to testnet and mainnet. Ten contracts are recorded on-chain; and 5-7 entities implementing social contracting in Kazakhstan are onboarded to our Cardano infrastructure.

Off-chain

We will hold 1 stakeholder consultation, 5 workshops (2 in-person, 3 virtual) training 50+ stakeholders, 2+ automated payment cycles, outreach to 500+ industry participants, 50+ survey responses, and wide UNDP dissemination as good practice.

Overall

Contributions to the SDGs 3, 9, 16 and 17 and Cardano’s public sector relevance

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

We propose developing and piloting a blockchain-enabled procurement and fund disbursement platform for social contracting in Kazakhstan. The system will record contracts, milestones, and payments on the Cardano blockchain, linking disbursements to verified results and enabling end-to-end transparency. Contracts are logged in a public blockchain registry, detailing the implementing organisation, funding, scope, and milestones. When training is delivered or services provided, smart contracts disperse payments upon verification by approvers or oracles linked to e-government systems. This ties disbursements to results, eliminating fraud and delays. A web-based dashboard enables real-time viewing of contract and payment status by stakeholders, leveraging Cardano’s immutable ledger.

Key contract terms and milestones as per agreements for social contracting implemented by the NGOs, in Kazakh regions are registered on-chain, with payments executed via smart contracts upon verified completion. Thus, the platform will address key SSP inefficiencies, including fragmented data, delayed payments, limited automation, and inadequate oversight, through:

• Open Contract Registry: Publication of all pilot SSP contracts on Cardano, with visibility of parties, funding, milestones, and status
• Automated Payments: Execution of milestone-linked escrow disbursements via smart contracts, triggered by verified completion through APIs, oracles, or authorised uploads
• System Integration: Demonstration of connectivity options with Kazakhstan’s e-government platforms, procurement, and treasury systems for de-duplication and expedited processing
• Feedback Module: Mechanisms for NGOs, officials, and beneficiaries to submit service evaluations and report issues
• Live Dashboards: Transparency and monitoring modules for the government, stakeholders, and the general public to track contract and payment status

Technical Architecture

The technical architecture will be implemented in a use case-driven manner, directly incorporating stakeholder requirements surfaced throughout the project delivery and especially during Milestone 1 & 2. From our experience both developing software on Cardano and implementing e-government infrastructure, the technical architecture will comprise at a minimum:

1. A front-end dashboard for contract access, progress tracking, and feedback submission
2. Pseudo-code based feasibility evaluation of pre-systems for government access, data validation, and contract storage
3. Cardano-based smart contracts for automated milestone disbursements
4. An off-chain database for supplementary documents and anonymised monitoring data
5. An oracle layer to validate milestone completion using external data sources

A tentative overview of the anticipated technical architecture is given below.

User Experience

Our solution is a blockchain-enabled procurement and fund disbursement platform tailored to Kazakhstan’s state social procurement (SSP) health projects, in partnership with UNDP Kazakhstan and UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub. It directly addresses identified challenges such as lack of transparency in contract registries, delays in financial processes, low automation, poor integration with e-government systems, limited beneficiary feedback, and fragmented monitoring, as outlined in UNDP analyses of SSP implementation for HIV and TB programmes.

To deliver a trustworthy solution that solves the problem of low transparency in (social) contracting in Kazakhstan, the user experience must be simple, accessible, and visual. For this reason, we will aggregate and display funding flows in a way that can be understood by members of the general public and project stakeholders alike. The figure below showcases the user experience we intend to produce.

For NGOs and government users, we intend to leverage mature software tools and practices, such as document hashing and OCR to simplify the entry of paper-based documents along with the programmatic integration of government databases.

User Case Delivery

Based on the technical affordances above, the MVP pilots the potential of integrating blockchain payments with Kazakhstan’s e-government systems via APIs, reducing duplication and establishing end-to-end digital processes. To address public procurement realities in Kazakhstan the technical solution is deployed together with capacity building activities on the ground.

The capacity-building component will include one (1) government consultation, five (5) structured training workshops (two (2) in-person, three (3) virtual) for over fifty (50+) procurement officials and NGO representatives. These activities will ensure sustainable adoption and establish a replicable framework for blockchain-based procurement in other regions and sectors.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

This project delivers measurable benefits for Kazakhstan’s health sector, UNDP’s mission, and the Cardano ecosystem, which are as follows.

• For Kazakhstan: measurable gains in procurement efficiency, reduced payment delays, and improved digitised social contracting processes delivery, for example for essential HIV and TB services, increased trust in public procurement, and enhanced governance capacity at regional and national levels. The pilot will generate replicable practical learnings on designing, operating, and scaling digital blockchain-based procurement systems in the public health sector.

• For UNDP: stronger institutional integrity and advancing SDG 3.3 and SDG 16.6 It would also generate a validated approach for integrating blockchain into development programmes, offering a scalable model that can be replicated across the region and globally. This strengthens the position of UNDP as an innovation leader supporting Kazakhstan’s governance reforms, and provides credible, real-time evidence to track progress toward the SDGs.

• For Cardano: a high-profile governance use case in an emerging market, reusable open-source components, and increased on-chain activity from public finance transactions, strengthening Cardano’s positioning in real-world, high-stakes applications. By delivering transparent, efficient, and scalable procurement processes, the project strengthens Kazakhstan’s capacity to achieve public health goals while positioning Cardano as a trusted platform for governance innovation worldwide. To summarise, the following impacts on the Cardano ecosystem are foreseen:

  • Reusable open-source tools for integrating Cardano into procurement systems

  • Increased on-chain transactions from public finance activity

  • Inspiring follow-on projects on a maturing enterprise and public sector stack

  • An uptake in stablecoin use beyond DeFi use cases

[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & Feasibility

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

We have proven capability to execute complex digital procurement projects with high levels of trust and accountability, combining ACURRAENT’s blockchain expertise with UNDP’s institutional mandate and in-country reach. The feasibility of this project will be validated through scoped integrations, measurable outputs, and rigorous testing to ensure the solution can be deployed securely, effectively, and in alignment with national health priorities.

Capability

The team proposing the delivery of this solution on Cardano has a proven track record of delivering trustworthy, reliable, and scalable solutions in high-stakes contexts, such as social contracting and government procurement. ACURRAENT has led to consortia funded by the European Union, where we delivered a digital identity application for a student voting at the University of Malta (WID3), as well as created a grant management platform that was showcased at DevCon Bangkok 2024 (AUTHBOND). Our contributions to real-world impact of blockchain-based solutions merited membership to the Metagov Grant Innovation Lab and a DAOStar Fellowship, where we produced published reports and co-organise the 2025 Grant Summit together with Octant, Stellar, and Scroll.

The UNDP Kazakhstan team provides in-country implementation experience, connection with the local and governmental stakeholders, including access to procurement stakeholders and social contracting implementers. UNDP Kazakhstan and the UNDP IRH HIV and Health Team bring decades of regional experience in health-related implementation, including procurement, HIV/TB programme management, and results-based financing. Their engagement is the basis for government access, alignment with national health priorities, and alignment with UNDP objectives.

Feasibility

The project begins with the scoped integration of SSP procurement data and selected NGOs, validating automation in a controlled environment. Feasibility will be measured through and tested against:

• Successful recording of live or sample contracts on-chain

• At least two automated payment cycles executed via smart contracts

• Positive post-training evaluations from 50+ officials and NGOs showing improved skills

• Best practices of blockchain-engineering, unit-tests and independent code reviews in preparation of future audits, validating correctness and security

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Requirements Gathering and System Design

Milestone Outputs

The first milestone will deliver a complete requirements specification, informed by a joint government and stakeholder consultation. This phase will also produce the high-level system architecture and the initial prototypes of the smart contracts that form the technical foundation of the solution.

Acceptance Criteria

• Approved requirements document by ACURRAENT, UNDP Kazakhstan, and the UNDP IRH HIV and Health Team
• Delivery of medium fidelity fireframes based on collected user requirements
• Testing smart contracts written and deployed to testnet
• Specification written for pre-systems integration
• API specification for solution
• Documented attendance and outputs of the government and stakeholder consultation
• Displaying escrow funds denominated in USDM, when stablecoin deposit was selected

Evidence of Completion

• Github repository with design document as PDF
• Github commits containing unit-tested smart contract code
• A publicly accessible clickable prototype hosted on Figma and code
• A publicly accessible statement by signed approval from UNDP
• A deployment transaction has for testing smart contracts on Cardano testnet
• Attendance list for stakeholder consultation
• Consultation outputs recorded in the design document

Delivery Month

2

Cost

21000

Progress

20 %

Milestone Title

MVP Development and E-Government Integration

Milestone Outputs

The second milestone delivers a functional MVP that combines core components into a cohesive solution. It includes a contract registry and milestone-based smart contracts, alongside interactive dashboards and a feedback module to ensure usability and accountability. The MVP also demonstrates prototypical pre-systems integration with relevant, accessible government-maintained databases.

Acceptance Criteria

• End-to-end testnet demonstration covering at least 3 simulated contract lifecycles
• Integration tests for all defined flows
• 90% unit-test coverage
• Functional frontend
• First demonstration video

Evidence of Completion

• Github repository with commits
• Integration test reports
• Publicly available frontend deployment
• V.1.0 API specification published to a self-hosted Swagger UI hosted
• Publicly accessible demo video

Delivery Month

5

Cost

34000

Progress

50 %

Milestone Title

Pilot Deployment and Capacity Building

Milestone Outputs

The third milestone focuses on pilot deployment and active stakeholder engagement. At least ten contracts will be recorded on-chain, demonstrating the system’s operational use in real conditions. Capacity building will be advanced through three in-person and two virtual workshops, training over fifty stakeholders with dedicated materials. In parallel, targeted engagement will involve 5–7 NGOs to ensure adoption and practical feedback. The pilot will also feature a local blockchain-procurement event to strengthen ecosystem understanding and culminate in the presentation of results at a regional industry conference, broadening visibility and dissemination of the solution.

Acceptance Criteria

• Verifiable workshop attendance covered through attendance lists and media recordings
• Workshop outputs like flipchart drawings and presentations
• 70% attendance of invited participants
• On-chain records of contracts deployed
• Video documentation
• Social media and press releases by project partners

Evidence of Completion

• Workshop reports, attendee lists, and surveys
• On-chain transaction evidence
• Pilot dashboard screenshots
• Multimedia recordings of the workshops
• Social media coverage and press releases

Delivery Month

8

Cost

31000

Progress

90 %

Milestone Title

Solution Refinement, Impact Evaluation, Reporting, and Dissemination

Milestone Outputs

The fourth milestone consolidates evaluation, refinement, and dissemination of the solution. An evaluation report will capture both on-chain and off-chain metrics, providing evidence of performance and adoption. The open-source codebase will be refined and published on Github, complemented by thorough documentation hosted as an Astro Docs application. The fully deployed solution will go live on Cardano mainnet, accessible via a public frontend and APIs. To assess user impact, a survey with a minimum of fifty responses will be conducted, accompanied by a published case study report. Dissemination will include an industry presentation to reach a broader professional audience, as well as the final Cardano Catalyst video demo and reporting to ensure transparent communication of results.

Acceptance Criteria

• 10+ contracts verified on-chain
• Report endorsed by stakeholders
• Public release of documentation, accounts created by 5-7 NGO
• Survey as part of evaluation report with >50 responses
• A published case study report co-authored by all project partners (ACURRAENT, UNDP Kazakhstan, and UNDP IRH HIV and Health Team)
• A presentation of the results at a relevant regional industry conference

Evidence of Completion

• Public report on Github
• Demo video
• On-chain data summaries
• Public Github repository with code
• Public link to industry presentation

Delivery Month

10

Cost

13000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

The budget of ₳100,000 is structured to balance personnel expertise with essential materials and logistics. The majority of resources are directed towards technical development, UX, and stakeholder engagement, while a dedicated portion ensures delivery through workshops, training, dissemination, and travel. This allocation provides both the capacity to implement the solution and the means to validate it with local stakeholders.

Budget & Cost Breakdown

List View

Personnel Costs: ₳77,500

• Technical Development: ₳42,000

  • Smart contracts, registry, dashboards, API development, pre-systems integration

• UX & Product Design: ₳11,000

  • Interfaces, usability research, stakeholder dashboards, surveys and user feedback

• Project Management: ₳10,500

  Coordination, compliance checks, milestone reporting

• Workshops Delivery & Capacity Building: ₳8,000

  • Preparation, facilitation, trainers, translation

• Dissemination, Evaluation & Reporting: ₳5,000

  • Evaluation report, documentation, public presentation

Travel, Material & Supplies: ₳26,500

• Training Materials & Publication: ₳2,000

  • Guides, digital resources, printed handouts

• Venue & Logistics: ₳12,000

  • Venue rental, equipment, catering, accommodation

• Hosting & Technical Equipment: ₳1,000

  • Hardware, server and software rental

• Travel: ₳9,500

  • Team and participant travel for workshops, travel and bursary for local attendees

Total: ₳100,000

Table View

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

At ₳100,000 (approximately US$97,200 as of August 2025), this project delivers exceptional value by piloting a reusable blockchain solution for social procurement in Kazakhstan's health sector, addressing inefficiencies like delayed payments and low transparency. The open-source outputs, including smart contracts, dashboards, and integration tools enable ecosystem-wide reuse, inspiring follow-on projects in the public sector, public governance and social finance.

UNDP’s engagement enhances Cardano's credibility in international development, opening new geographies in Central Asia and demonstrating real-world utility for stablecoins in institutional transactions. Measurable impacts include 10+ on-chain contracts, training for 50+ stakeholders via six workshops, and dissemination to >500 industry participants, boosting on-chain activity and community engagement.

Costs are efficiently allocated, averaging ₳25,000 per milestone, with a focus on high-impact deliverables that advance SDGs and position Cardano as a trusted platform for scalable, transparent public sector applications.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes