Accountability In Procurement Research Articles

Beyond Panacea: Deconstructing the Multifaceted Relationship between Procurement Accountability and Quality in the County Government of Kitui, Kenya

Procurement and supply chain processes in public administration are often scrutinized for their susceptibility to inefficiency and corruption. This research investigated the influence of different accountability mechanisms on the quality of procurement and supply chain management within the Kitui County government in Kenya. Moving beyond a simplistic notion of accountability as mere responsibility, the study adopted a nuanced approach, drawing upon agency theory and institutional theory to analyse the interplay between formal rules, oversight bodies, and stakeholder engagement in shaping procurement outcomes. It examined how these mechanisms influence key quality dimensions like cost-effectiveness, transparency, and value for money. A mixed-method was employed, utilizing both quantitative surveys within the Kitui County procurement department and qualitative interviews with key stakeholders. The coefficients of correlation and the P-values were as follows: Accountability (Beta= 0.774, P-value= 0.000<0.05) thus indicating a statistical significance, 1 point increase in accountability increases quality of procurement by 0.774 hence indicating a very strong positive influence. This research serves as a springboard for further investigation into the nuanced dynamics of accountability within public procurement and supply chain management, ultimately aiming to improve quality and deliver greater value for public institutions and their stakeholders

Do transparency and accountability enhance regulatory compliance in public procurement? Evidence from Tanzania

With an increasing emphasis on ethical practices among public procurement practitioners, transparency and accountability will remain critical in ensuring effective and efficient procurement operations. This paper examines the influence of transparency and accountability in enhancing regulatory compliance in public procurement. This study was quantitative in nature and utilised a quantitative analysis approach to analyse data from 202 public procurement practitioners in Dodoma, Tanzania. The study applied structural equation modelling to examine the relationship between transparency, accountability, and regulatory compliance in public procurement. The results indicate a positive and significant relationship between transparency and regulatory compliance (β = 0.148, p = 0.048). The study also reveals that accountability is a significant and positive factor that promotes regulatory compliance (β= 0.366, p < 0.001). The study’s findings offer valuable insights for public procurement practitioners to establish well-defined standards of practice concerning transparency and accountability in procurement operations, with the aim of improving regulatory compliance. The research contributes to the existing literature on enhancing procurement compliance in the public sector by exploring the role of transparency and accountability in procurement regulatory compliance in Tanzania.

ACCOUNTABILITY IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT: THE CASE OF FEDERAL PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS OF ETHIOPIA

Public procurement is the main tool through which governments acquire goods, works, and services in the course of achieving public objectives. The study has focused on the accountability aspects of government procurement. The study has addressed the accountability in government procurement of the federal organizations of Ethiopia, and particular emphasis was given to ministries, agencies and commissions. Procurement accountability is related to being answerable to what has been planned, what has been implemented, what result has been achieved, and how the decisions have been made. Thus, the basic objective of the study is to examine procurement related accountability in selects federal organizations of Ethiopia. The research questions have been designed to examine how accountability related factors influence government procurement, and what areas are needed to be considered in promoting accountability. Accordingly, the data show that accountability in control of efficiency and effectiveness, ensuring value for money by taking the whole-life cost of acquisition is not strong enough in selection and awarding of suppliers, and professionalism and experiences are not created well to establish a strong accountability. It has been suggested that federal organizations have to revisit the accountability issues to obtain equivalent benefit from the amount they spend. Moreover, creating accountability to the successes as well as to failures will enhance answerability of individuals working in procurement related areas.

Analysing the European Union's Tenders Electronic Daily: possibilities and pitfalls

As a public policy tool, the open data movement holds out hope of large payoffs in democratic transparency and accountability. This paper explores the efficacy of the Tenders Electronic Daily or TED open dataset which covers 33 European countries operating at numerous levels of government. While the recent move toward making the TED open data available in a potentially more user-friendly CSV format could have been a milestone in realising a major aspect of the goals of the open data movement, this study demonstrates that the redundant structure of the individual files is extremely difficult to understand in its current form. Moreover, the transparency that may have resulted from this initiative is unlikely to efficiently serve the purposes of public procurement accountability. As a result, the TED open data in CSV format should be approached with an abundance of caution.

Accountability challenges in public–private partnerships from a South African perspective

One of the potential benefits of public–private partnerships (PPPs) is its capacity to enhance account- ability. Although the South African government has made several efforts to address the need for fairness in service delivery and improve accountability in procurement, accountability remains a challenge in PPPs in South Africa and most other countries. If PPPs are to play their role in infrastructure development and service delivery, and thus serve public interests, the problem of accountability must be addressed. This paper attempts to identify some of the accountability challenges in PPPs, together with a literature review, to provide some future perspectives on PPPs in South Africa.Â

Accountability challenges in public-private partnerships from a South African perspective

One of the potential benefits of public–private partnerships (PPPs) is its capacity to enhance account- ability. Although the South African government has made several efforts to address the need for fairness in service delivery and improve accountability in procurement, accountability remains a challenge in PPPs in South Africa and most other countries. If PPPs are to play their role in infrastructure development and service delivery, and thus serve public interests, the problem of accountability must be addressed. This paper attempts to identify some of the accountability challenges in PPPs, together with a literature review, to provide some future perspectives on PPPs in South Africa.Â