A Study on the Use of Blockchain Technology to Prevent and Detect Corruption in Thailand's Government Procurement Process

Government procurement is becoming a kind of important economic activity now, government procurement includes the procurement activities such as procurement mode and procurement process, it is a complex system engineering which includes commerce activity and administration activity. With the increase of government procurement operation, the management of government procurement will become very onerous. In order to achieve the targets of government procurement, government procurement is considered as one of the significant economic activities that can reflect the function of government processes reengineering synthetically, then how-to identify processes in anfractuous government procurement processes is a chief precondition of implementing government procurement processes reengineering, this paper puts forward the methods of activities identifying and processes identifying to analyze the relationships among processes, it uses a case study methodology grounded in system engineering theory to analyze an application in government procurement processes.

Kenya is one of the countries that are currently in the process of preparing a new law on government procurement as part of the anti-corruption efforts of a new democratically elected government which came into power in December 2002. Whereas it may be too early to judge the commitment of the new government to meaningful and consistent anti-corruption initiatives, one may already discern either a definite unwillingness to move forward with serious reforms or an implicit acquiescence towards corrupt practices, particularly in the government procurement process. In this paper, we shall examine Kenya's government procurement laws, and their practical application. We focus on two recent examples of the procurement process, one by a government ministry and the other by a parastatal body. The first example of application we shall look at is the controversy over the procurement of HIV-Aids testing equipment by the Ministry of Health, and the second is the procurement of cranes by the Kenya Ports Authority. We shall end with a brief examination of the proposed Public Procurement and Disposal Bill (2003)l which is currently before the Kenyan parliament and how it may revolutionalize the government procurement process in Kenya. This Bill has already received the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers and is due for the second reading in Parliament.2 Despite the Government having stated its commitment to have the bill enacted, the bill has not been passed yet.3 In the last substantive part of the paper, we assess the relevant international agreements and standards such as the UNCITRAL Model Law on Public Procurement and the WTO's Agreement on Government Procurement, and also highlight the regional procurement law.

The Malaysian government’s development of an e-procurement system, a key component of its broader e-government initiative, aims to enhance the efficiency, transparency, and accountability of public sector supply chain management. While the technological aspects of this system are essential, the integration of Maqasid al-Shariah (the objectives of Sharia law) within the system is crucial for ensuring ethical governance. This paper explores the incorporation of Maqasid al-Shariah within Malaysia's e-procurement framework, positioning it as a central element of the Malaysia Shariah Index Model (ISM). The ISM serves both as a governance model and a tool for assessing Sharia compliance in government procurement processes. The study reveals that embedding Maqasid al-Shariah within the e-procurement system promotes ethical procurement practices, ensuring decisions align with Islamic principles of justice, equity, and fairness, thereby reducing corruption and inefficiencies. Through interviews with seven key informants, including policymakers, procurement specialists, and Sharia experts, the research highlights both the successes and challenges faced during the integration of Maqasid al-Shariah in public procurement. Key findings suggest that the Maqasid al-Shariah framework significantly enhances transparency, accountability, and fairness, fostering a reduction in procurement-related fraud and corruption. However, challenges such as the lack of consistent Sharia expertise, resistance to change within procurement culture, and technological inefficiencies remain prevalent. The study also proposes several policy recommendations to strengthen Sharia compliance, including capacity building for procurement officials, strengthening Sharia oversight, and ensuring regular system upgrades. This paper contributes to understanding how Islamic governance principles can be operationalized within modern public sector procurement systems, ensuring both operational efficiency and adherence to Sharia law. Ultimately, the integration of Maqasid al-Shariah within Malaysia’s e-procurement system represents a transformative step towards ethical governance and the sustainable development of the public sector.

Finding the missing link: examining the mediating role of sustainable public procurement behaviour

This paper develops a taxonomy of government procurement (GP) measures to provide a basis for further analysis. It aims to undertake a more comprehensive, albeit not exhaustive, collection of GP barriers across countries, and to develop a classification system of GP measures to facilitate further data collection and analysis. The output is a taxonomy of different GP measures, policies and procedures which can impact cross-border public procurement.

With the rapid development of China's Internet + information technology, government procurement has also begun to build on the technology of big data, cloud computing and other technologies to build an integrated network procurement service platform within the government, clarifying the work responsibilities of different procurement business entities, Procurement model and supervision mechanism to strengthen the management and control of the entire information-based procurement process to solve the problems of opaque information and low degree of standardization in the government procurement process. This article uses the bbs three-tier network system architecture as the software and hardware support for network government procurement. The government procurement management system is designed to meet the diverse procurement management needs of different government departments.

In the context of emphasis on budget management, in order to implement the policy and prevent financial risks, printing consumables should be included in the budget of government procurement, and government procurement process should be integrated into the internal management of colleges and universities. Combining with the exploration and practice in Qufu normal university, the characteristics and problems of printing consumables management are analyzed firstly. In order to purchase printing consumables through government procurement, we need to perfect the management system, understand the real situation, and streamline the management process. Therefore, a reservoir model is used to intuitively describe the way of storage management, user requisition, inventory control, etc. The purpose of this paper is to realize the fine management of printing consumables.

PurposeWhile corruption has long been recognized as a destructive social problem, the subject has not yet been given much attention in the literature of the management of procurement of infrastructure projects in Ghana. The purpose of this paper is to explore and discuss corruption practices inherent in public procurement of infrastructural projects in Ghana with the aim of identifying corruption related challenges that must be addressed in order to actualize the expected economic gains of infrastructural projects.Design/methodology/approachDrawing extensively on existing literature and published data, the methodology adopted for the paper consisted of multi‐stage critical review of pertinent literature; review of 2007 Annual Report of the Public Procurement Authority and review of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663). The study assumes value‐laden axiological philosophy, where the values and experiences of the authors provided the basis for the discussion.FindingsConflict of interest, bribery, embezzlement, kickbacks, tender manipulation and fraud are observed corruption practices in the Ghanaian infrastructure projects delivery system. The severity of corruption practices have intensified the search for more innovative means of delivering infrastructure projects that will achieve value for money. In the pursuit to control corruption practices, this would require constitution of a sound procurement system and pro‐social equity policies that would foster good governance, corporate social responsibility, transparency, accountability, judicious public expenditure and national progress. The Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) is observed to proffer solutions for these underlying constructs but not without challenges.Research limitations/implicationsThe nature of the research is review and explanatory without any empirical analysis to support the discussions and thus the results cannot be generalized on a broader context of public procurement practice in Ghana.Practical implicationsImplementation of sound procurement performance measurements would be imperative in the bid to curb corruption practices. The paper suggested a number of business approaches to combat corrupt practices in Ghana, which are explained in terms of political, psychological, technical, operational and retaliatory measures. In this paper, it is proposed that knowledge about and debating corruption related issues is just as important to the modern public procurement as are the abilities to creatively and logically introduce monitoring systems when planning, executing and completing projects.Originality/valueThe work is novel providing meaningful insights into conceptual basis for a detailed empirical analysis. Being a pioneering study, further research tailored to compare the extent of corruption practices in various sectors of the economy of Ghana would be novel.

Background: Service delivery is the core business of any government around the world, especially in developing economies. The government uses various public procurement legislation that govern how public services are procured. The current procurement legislation to acquire goods, works and services for the public at large are said to be ineffective and inefficient, hindering the accelerated provision of public services.Aim: This article aimed to ascertain the degree to which public sector procurement processes can be modelled to that of the private sector to improve service delivery.Setting: Several studies have revealed a stagnating nature of service delivery in government entities when it comes to the methods used to procure public services in South Africa. The private sector also does procurement successfully; however, it is slightly different as it is not governed by rigid public procurement legislation causing unnecessary red tapes. The red tapes that are sometimes impeding the accelerated service delivery are a major cause for concern if the government was to improve service delivery at a faster and unhindered pace.Methods: The research was qualitative in nature and used unobtrusive research methods focusing on a literature review technique. The research entailed a robust examination of the existing literature and trends analysis in the field of public procurement and private sector procurement.Results: The article revealed that there are several shortcomings in the form of red tapes that the public sector procurement is currently experiencing, which can be mitigated by adopting some of the private sector operational processes. Of course, this might require a total overhaul of the current public procurement processes including some legislation in an attempt to boost service delivery. Such red tapes include inflexibility of government procurement processes to allow for innovations, long-term supplier relationships and effective communication on future government plans. As such, some of these red tapes have a huge impact on improving service delivery, especially if fraud and corruption are involved; some processes are counterproductive and they end up allowing inexperienced suppliers to be chosen who fail to deliver.Conclusion: Public procurement process in South Africa urgently needs an overhaul to adopt some of the best practices used in private sector procurement operations to improve service delivery. This is because most public resources do not yield value for money because of rigid and stifling public procurement processes.

The aim of study to investigates the role of e-procurement technologies to mitigate corruption within the public procurement sector of Pakistan due to which E-procurement can’t be implemented. It examines the factors that contribute to corruption probability in government procurement process. The implementation of E-Procurement, within the public sector represents a significant transformation in the country's governance which serves as a strategic response to enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency in public procurement processes. In the design of E-procurement adoption, three primary factors were taken into consideration to address obstacles: Monopoly power; Information asymmetry; Transparency and accountability. A survey was distributed to 232 procurement specialists and government suppliers; the approach chosen involves the distribution of a well-structured closed-ended questionnaire to enable quantitative assessment, utilizing a convenience sampling method. Obtained informed consent from participants that ensure participants understand the purpose, procedures, potential risks, and benefits of the research project and voluntarily agree to participate.  The SPSS software was employed to compile the results of multiple regression models. The findings reveal a substantial 76.9% impact of various variables contributing to adaptation of E-procurement. The result indicates that all three-independent variable: Monopoly power, Information asymmetry, transparency & accountability are creating major resistance in implementation of E-procurement in the government organizations which are the major cause of corruption. This research provides valuable insights into enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of resources within the public sector. As one of the few studies on this topic, it serves as a foundational piece of literature that can guide future research and policymaking endeavors in Pakistan's public procurement landscape. Ultimately, the successful implementation of E-Procurement has the potential to transform how public funds are managed, ensuring greater accountability, transparency, and efficiency in public sector operations.

Public clients are generally expected to consider health and safety (H&S) in the project procurement process. However, there is evidence that in many developing countries, public clients do not adequately consider H&S in the procurement of public projects. This study therefore sought to understand this issue by exploring the constraints that hinder public clients from adequately promoting H&S in public works procurement. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, semi-structured interviews were conducted with public clients and contractors, and a survey was conducted with public clients, contractors, and consultants. The interview data was analysed using inductive thematic analysis, while the survey data was subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. Nine themes of constraints including regulatory; budgetary; human resource constraints; lack of management commitment; lack of H&S knowledge and education; unethical procurement practices; political influence; absence of guidance materials; and poor attitude towards H&S were identified. Based on the findings, this study recommended strategic interventions to promote the consideration of H&S in public procurement. This study contributes to the broader research on H&S management by focusing specifically on public clients in developing countries and providing an in-depth understanding of the issues which have implications for both developing and developed countries.

Assessing the implementation of sustainable public procurement using quantitative text-analysis tools: A large-scale analysis of Belgian public procurement notices

This study aims to examine the role of forensic accounting in preventing fraud and corruption in the public and private sectors. Forensic accounting, which combines accounting knowledge with investigative techniques, serves as a tool to detect and prevent fraud and manipulation that can harm an organization. This study uses a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach to identify, evaluate, and analyze relevant literature related to the role of forensic accounting in preventing fraud and corruption. The results of the study indicate that the application of appropriate forensic accounting techniques can strengthen internal controls, increase transparency, and detect early signs of fraud before it causes significant losses. In the public sector, forensic accounting plays a role in ensuring accountable and transparent management of public funds, and helps detect and prevent corruption in government procurement processes and projects. In the private sector, the application of techniques such as data analysis, document examination, and forensic audits can identify suspicious transactions and maintain the integrity of a company's financial statements. In addition, human resource training on business ethics and the importance of transparency plays an important role in building an organizational culture that supports effective oversight. Based on these findings, this study recommends that organizations in both sectors focus more on strengthening internal control systems, as well as providing forensic accounting training to auditors and financial managers. Implementing better prevention strategies can create a cleaner, more transparent and accountable environment, which ultimately strengthens the organization's reputation and reduces the risk of fraud and corruption.

In recent years, Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries have madeimportant advances in the modernization of their public procurement systems. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), with the aim of maintaining and deepening its commitment to LAC countries under its development effectiveness framework, has been adapting the approach to procurement in projects to ensure that internationally accepted standards and good market practices are followed, while assisting countries efficiently and effectively in a changing environment. This study presents a comparative analysis of the normative public procurement frameworks of 12 LAC countries with respect to IDB procurement policies. The main goal of the study is to identify the main differences and opportunities that have been analyzed the most in IDB¿s procurement policies to support the strategy of alignment to the demands of the countries in the abovementioned development effectiveness framework. The study identified the need to describe explicitly the guiding principles of public procurement in the IDB¿s Procurement Policy, as well as broaden the concept of value for money; include new methods of procurement, such as competitive dialogue and negotiation; make the evaluation criteria for works and goods in complex projects more flexible; incorporate the use of technology for certain contracting methods, such as framework agreements and reverse auctions; and streamline the use of national public procurement systems.

The increased interest in using public procurement as a policy tool for innovation has renewed a need for understanding the procurement process. A conjecture on institutional rationalities and property rights is offered to explain the hurdles present for conducting successful procurement projects. If an efficient negotiation solution is to be achieved, participants in procurement projects need to be aware of the other participants’ institutional rationalities and actively consider these while concluding the terms of procurement projects. Consequently, future policy efforts towards increased innovation have to be targeting the process of public procurement of innovation, rather than focusing on regulatory issues.