People in public procurement

Abstract

As the nature of public procurement changes, so do the demands placed upon people in procurement, although the response of public sectors, especially in terms of providing higher levels of training and education, is limited. In this chapter the authors discuss some of the ways in which public procurement has developed in the past decade. They examine how these changes are reflected in and challenged by the evidence from both prior research and the International Research Study of Public Procurement (IRSPP) case studies. The outcomes are linked to the fundamental changes occurring within public procurement in a number of jurisdictions and to the changing professional demands placed upon people in both public purchasing and procurement. Some of the potential pathways that mark the emergence of the professional status of procurement are presented in the context of current and emerging skills and capabilities requirements, reflected in the IRSPP case studies and the many changes in public procurement. The nature and role of professional institutions are seen by the authors as entities with the potential to harmonize and stabilize the currently divergent standards of education and training required for both purchasing and procurement, evident from the case studies in this volume. The overall picture suggests significant change in processes, policy and levels of responsibility, yet reflects limited training and education initiatives in most jurisdictions.