IT Procurement Case Study of the Japanese Government within the Institutional Theory Context

Abstract

Japanese government has sought to create and implement an IT procurement system that fosters competitive bidding. This study examines 31 IT procurement case studies surrounding the 2016 launch of Japan’s social security and tax number system with which the author was directly involved. It identifies a disjunction between IT procurement as a legal and a social system, wherein the government and vendors acknowledge that some vendors will inevitably be awarded contracts. The Japanese government should thus reconsider its IT procurement system and abandon competitiveness as a goal.