The Relevance of Procurement in Public Administration: A South African Perspective

Abstract

Public procurement is a big industry in public administration as taxpayers’ money spent by the government on goods, services and infrastructure accounts for the massive gross domestic product (GDP) of a country. This study upholds the idea that public procurement is relevant and activity of public administration. The public administration atmospheres focus on macro milieus and support the government to advance consciousness, dynamics convoluted purchases of government goods, services, works and infrastructure development. Such external environmental aspects moving public and private buyers in the same direction are that of reconnoitring those critical environmental inspirational procurement procedures. This calls for public administrators to design bid processes according to the above-mentioned influences, as they are cradles of government financial spending and economic progression. Public administration philosophies succor to offer dimensions and theoretical conceptual work on how procurement should proceed within the government. Such public administration theories are paramount to transcend the understanding of procurement in the public sector. Specifically, the generic administrative functions as they relate to public procurement are relevant in expounding this research. The paper is the exploratory one, seeking to expand the knowledge base and stimulate discourse on procurement practices in government. A qualitative research and content analysis was employed in this study. It can be deduced that there is the relevance of procurement in government, as government procures and spends billions and even trillions of rands financing goods, services, public works, massive infrastructure development-highways, bridges, dams, airports, seaports and other essential amenities. These massive kinds of procurement have to be accounted for against corrupt and state capture activities.