Smarter Public Procurement for Smart Cities in India: Outlining Procurement Challenges and Reforms for Increasingly Complex and Innovative Government Contracts

Abstract

This short paper identifies key procurement reforms undertaken in various jurisdictions for modernising public procurement, especially in the context of delivery of public services and infrastructure for smart cities. The analysis is undertaken in the backdrop of recent release of mission documents and guidelines for smart cities by the Government of India; and the paper accordingly re-emphasises the need for procurement reforms in India from efficiency and user satisfaction perspectives, rather than limiting themselves to increased transparency at the cost of these other important procurement objectives.