Abstract
When considering sustainability from a socioeconomic and environmental point, the South African public transport industry was not an integral part of such planning until the last decade. Various well-intended and well-defined public procurement and environmental regulatory policies and instruments were put in place over the years, however, they appear to be failing in achieving the goals of local job creation and alleviation of unemployment. This exploratory literature review study of various public documents, regulatory instruments, and review reports aims to evaluate current knowledge pertaining to the current level of sustainable transport from a life-cycle approach, in support of overall sustainable goals in South Africa. The research set out to assess the status of public procurement in the revitalising of public rail freight transport towards identifying areas of excellence that could be used to address under-performance in other areas. The documentary analysis found various areas where the public procurement policies within South Africa, which aims to promote local participation, are facing difficulties due to lack of access to modern technology as well as inadequate skills levels to be able to partake in the ventures. In exploring South African challenges and current solutions, the article recommends a holistic and integrated approach to provide for a sustained manufacturing and service supply stream within the local railway transport environment.
Highlights
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)sustainable procurement can be described as “ . . . a process whereby organisations meet their needs for goods, services, works and utilities in a way that achieves value for money on a whole life basis ( . . . ) whilst minimising damage to the environment” [1].This definition highlights two important themes, those being longevity of procurement and a move towards responding to the challenges of climate change
This paper presents a systematic literature review of the role of public procurement in rail transport in promoting economic and social sustainability in South Africa
The systematic analysis of policy documents, current reports, and articles aims to contextualize and address the current gap in academic and sectorial knowledge [4] pertaining to the applicability and efficacy of South African Public procurement policy approaches towards instilling a sustainable impact on the socioeconomic development and growth using railway freight transport within the country
Summary
) whilst minimising damage to the environment” [1] This definition highlights two important themes, those being longevity of procurement and a move towards responding to the challenges of climate change. SA is faced with the growing importance of moving towards sustainable or so-called “green” transport. All these aspirations are underpinned by the need to improve the economy of South Africa by means of an inclusive public procurement process which drivers locally owned and produced content. The National Department of Transport (DoT) compiled a comprehensive strategy for the transport sector to make a substantial contribution to national economic development through a “people-centred approach that creates opportunity and stimulates growth” [2].
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