{"title":"Innovation for hire: a descriptive study of federal acquisitions and contractor R&D","authors":"Stephen C. Hansen, Judith Hermis","doi":"10.1108/jopp-10-2019-0071","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jopp-10-2019-0071","url":null,"abstract":"<h3>Purpose</h3>\u0000<p>This paper aims to investigate the extent to which federal acquisitions motivate private-sector partner firms’ investment in innovation.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\u0000<h3>Design/methodology/approach</h3>\u0000<p>Archival, Empirical.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\u0000<h3>Findings</h3>\u0000<p>This study finds that federal acquisitions are positively associated with contractors’ R&D spending but that the intensity of R&D spending is indistinguishable between firms’ government and private sectors (non-government) contracts. This study also develops a novel measure of the intensity of contractor R&D spending on public sector relative to private-sector clients and assesses construct validity of the measure.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\u0000<h3>Research limitations/implications</h3>\u0000<p>Cultivating innovation is an explicit goal of federal procurement. Innovation is critical to addressing the nation’s collective problems. The results should be of interest to scholars and practitioners, particularly acquisition personnel, one of whose responsibilities is to efficiently steward tax revenues to the most productive (contracting) use.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\u0000<h3>Originality/value</h3>\u0000<p>This study is descriptive in nature and helps to illuminate the extent and conditions under which federal acquisition activity motivates investment in innovation by private-sector partners. These results speak to how effectively government contracting motivates private-sector innovation, which clearly has implications for fiscal stewardship. Additionally, private-sector innovation affects stock price formation. Collectively, these results imply that the extent to which acquisitions motivate innovation has material implications on our country’s fiscal health.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->","PeriodicalId":45136,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Procurement","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2020-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138518711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A systematic review of barriers impeding the implementation of government green procurement","authors":"Navarani Vejaratnam, Z. Mohamad, S. Chenayah","doi":"10.1108/jopp-02-2020-0013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jopp-02-2020-0013","url":null,"abstract":"Government green procurement (GGP) is becoming a popular environmental policy instrument to spur the economy whilst protecting the environment. However, the implementation of GGP is impeded by various barriers. This paper aims to analyse the existing literature on barriers impeding GGP.,This systematic literature review was guided by the PRISMA Statement (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) review method. A total of 29 articles from the Scopus and Web of Science databases were selected for the review.,Five themes, i.e. finance, legal, people, knowledge and organisation, emerged from this review, which further produced 16 sub-themes. Lack of knowledge and awareness were the major barriers for GGP, while financial constraint was not the major barrier for GGP, as previously perceived. Barriers related to organisation were the most complex. Certain barriers were found more in developed or developing countries.,Only article journals with empirical data were selected. Review articles, book series, books, chapters in books and conference proceedings were excluded.,Public managers should place highest priority to enhance knowledge and awareness of procurers on GGP. Other important initiatives to be undertaken include emulating best practices, implementing change management and incentivising suppliers to tackle the prevalent barriers of GGP. Finally, with increasing evidences on barriers related to GGP, public managers should consider mapping and analysing specific barriers hindering GGP in their organisation/country.,A less challenging and efficient implementation of GGP contributes to a cleaner environment.,This article will be the first to systematically review the barriers of GGP.","PeriodicalId":45136,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Procurement","volume":"20 1","pages":"451-471"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2020-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/jopp-02-2020-0013","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46933437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marcus Vinicius de Souza Silva Oliveira, João Batista Pavesi Simão, S. Caeiro
{"title":"Stakeholders’ categorization of the sustainable public procurement system: the case of Brazil","authors":"Marcus Vinicius de Souza Silva Oliveira, João Batista Pavesi Simão, S. Caeiro","doi":"10.1108/jopp-09-2018-0031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jopp-09-2018-0031","url":null,"abstract":"Encouraged by the State, the Brazilian public organizations practice sustainable procurement as one of the strategies to promote sustainable development. Performing them requires understanding to manage stakeholders. The purpose of this study is to identify and categorize the stakeholders of Brazilian public organizations’ sustainable procurement system.5,Preliminarily, the stakeholders were identified in the literature and by interviews with experts. Later, in a multi-case study, it was categorized by the model of stakeholder salience.,In general, governmental and intra-organizational stakeholders were classified as more salient. However, some stakeholders considered important by literature and experts have been categorized as less salient by organizations.,The proposed categorization is useful for the system comprehension and will serve as a basis for the development of future works, notably those who propose to understand or evaluate the sustainable public procurement (SPP). Additionally, this work aims to enlarge the knowledge and the better practices of SPP in a large emerging South American country, giving its contribution to the transition to more sustainable societies.","PeriodicalId":45136,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Procurement","volume":"20 1","pages":"423-449"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2020-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/jopp-09-2018-0031","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42524418","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Public procurement performance and the challenge of service complexity – the case of pre-hospital healthcare","authors":"I. Pettersen, K. Nyland, Geraldine B. Robbins","doi":"10.1108/jopp-01-2020-0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jopp-01-2020-0002","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000The purpose of this paper is to study the links between contextual changes, contract arrangements and resultant problems when changes in outsourcing regulatory requirements are applied to complex pre-hospital services previously characterized by relational contracting.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The study deployed a qualitative design based on interviews with key informants and extensive studies of documents. It is a longitudinal study of a procurement process taking place in a regional health authority covering the period 2006 to 2017.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000A complex and longitudinal public procurement process where pre-hospital (ambulance) services are transformed from relational and outsourced governance to more formal arrangements based on legal and transactional controls, is described in detail. After several years, the process collapsed due to challenges following public scrutiny, legal actions and administrative staff resignations. The public body lacked procurement competencies and the learning process following the regulations was lengthy. In the end, the services were in-sourced.\u0000\u0000\u0000Research limitations/implications\u0000This study is based on one case and it should, therefore, not be generalized without limitations.\u0000\u0000\u0000Practical implications\u0000One practical implication of this study is that transactional contracts are not optimal when core and complex services are produced in inter-organizational settings. In public sector health-care contexts, the role of informal and social controls based on relational exchanges are particularly applicable.\u0000\u0000\u0000Social implications\u0000Acute health-care services essential to citizens’ security and health imply high asset specificity, frequency and uncertainty. Such transactions should according to theory be produced in-house because of high agency costs in the procurement process.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000The paper contributes to the understanding of how the public procurement process can itself be complex, as managerial challenges and solutions vary along several dimensions and are contingent upon external factors. In particular, the study increases knowledge of why the design and implementation of outsourcing models may create problems that impede and obstruct control in a particular public sector context.\u0000","PeriodicalId":45136,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Procurement","volume":"20 1","pages":"403-421"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2020-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/jopp-01-2020-0002","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44999352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The impact of e-procurement on institutional quality","authors":"L. Mélon, Rock Spruk","doi":"10.1108/jopp-07-2019-0050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jopp-07-2019-0050","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeBecause of the renewed interest in public purchasing and the strategic use of public funds under the requirements of sustainable development, the question arose once again as to how to curb the fall of institutional quality once criteria other than price are inserted into the decision-making in public purchasing. E-procurement has been repeatedly named as one of the most efficient tools to that effect and the present paper sets out to discover whether the implementation of e-procurement in a particular country per se entails also higher institutional quality, allowing for a wider implementation of green and sustainable procurement at the national, regional and municipal level without the fear of worsening the country’s institutional quality. By analyzing the implementation of e-procurement in Denmark, the Netherlands and in Portugal, this paper aims to verify the hypothesis that the implementation of e-procurement implies better institutions in terms of public purchasing. As such, the conclusions will be used in further research on the prerequisites for a successful implementation of green public procurement across the European Union.Design/methodology/approachGathering data on institutional quality of three early e-procurement adopters (Denmark, the Netherlands and Portugal) allows for comparison of institutional quality pre- and post-e-procurement implementation. By using difference-in-differences comparison the paper seeks to answer the question how doesmandatory e-procurement influence institutional quality on the national level.FindingsThe paper finds that the reform is generally associated with a relatively stronger control of corruption in the Netherlands and Denmark, while a similar reform in Portugal failed to translate into a stronger control of corruption. Furthermore, while using the quality of regulation as a dependent variable, a positive and robust effect on the quality of regulation in Denmark was shown, while the quality of reputation in the Netherlands and Portugal declined in the post-reform period, with the drop in the quality of regulation in Portugal being considerably greater, a two-fold higher amount than the estimated drop in the Netherlands. The paper suggests that in spite of the same aims, the reform yielded substantially different or even opposing effects compared to Denmark.Research limitations/implicationsBy examining three examples of early adopters, further research with broader impact is needed to deduce general implications for e-procurement implementation. Furthermore, implementation of e-procurement at the regional or local level can also yield distinct results.Social implicationsUnderstanding the actual impact of e-procurement on institutional quality is indispensable for further study on the matter. The present study argues that e-procurement needs to be accompanied by additional measures or variables to yield a positive impact on institutional quality in public procurement.Originality/valueAs to orig","PeriodicalId":45136,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Procurement","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2020-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/jopp-07-2019-0050","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43961899","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Unravelling SMEs’ participation and success in public procurement","authors":"C. Mauro, A. Ancarani, Tara Hartley","doi":"10.1108/jopp-03-2018-0013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jopp-03-2018-0013","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This paper aims to investigate the role of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) within the Canadian public procurement, by seeking to identify barriers and supporting factors of MSMEs’ participation and success in public tenders.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The empirical analysis builds on a unique survey run by the Canadian federal government, which addressed firms either participating or not participating in public tenders. Model estimation on the survey data relies on sample selection methodologies, which allow separating determinants of MSMEs’ decision to participate from determinants of success.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Results provide evidence that costs stemming from asset specificity and uncertainty (e.g. costs of bidding, requirements for participation, bundling of contracts and award rules based on minimum price) affect participation in public procurement. Within MSMEs, micro-firms are the most discouraged from participating. However, after controlling for factors affecting participation, micro-firms emerge as having a higher success rate, possibly because of high specialization and joint participation with larger firms.\u0000\u0000\u0000Research limitations/implications\u0000Because of the cross-sectional nature of the data used for hypotheses testing, endogeneity may arise if ex post variables affect ex ante decisions. This may apply if participation in procurement feeds on success in past tenders.\u0000\u0000\u0000Social implications\u0000Findings may inform policies for the inclusion of smaller firms in the public marketplace.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first attempting to disentangle determinants of participation in public tenders from determinants of success. Separating the two aspects helps fine-tune SME-friendly public procurement policies, by identifying actions that effectively facilitate success of MSMEs in public tenders.\u0000","PeriodicalId":45136,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Procurement","volume":"20 1","pages":"377-401"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2020-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/jopp-03-2018-0013","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47834161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Compliance mediating role within road construction regulatory framework","authors":"Noah Mwelu, P. Davis, Yongjian Ke, Susan Watundu","doi":"10.1108/jopp-12-2018-0052","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jopp-12-2018-0052","url":null,"abstract":"The propose of this study is to focus on the mediating role of compliance with procurement regulatory frameworks in implementing public road construction projects.,A cross-sectional research design was adopted. Structured questionnaires were developed in a three-step process including generating items, purifying measurement items and validating measurement items. Variables were anchored on a five-point Likert scale because it is an efficient unidimensional scale that ensures all items measure the same thing and widely applicable in construction research.,The findings show that compliance with a public procurement regulatory framework significantly mediates the relationship between familiarity with a public procurement regulatory framework, monitoring activities, sanction on staff and contractors’ resistance to non-compliance and public road construction project success. However, compliance with a public procurement regulatory framework does not mediate the relationship between the professionalism of staff and perceived inefficiency with public road construction projects’ success.,Limited mediation studies and examples in the public road construction subsector affected this study to comprehensively investigate and compare study findings. Furthermore, the study adopted a cross-sectional research design that limits responses to one point in time. Finally, the study missed out other participants in different organizations and departments that could have had relevant information.,The study contributes to public procurement and construction management research fields by uncovering this strong mediating role of compliance with a public procurement regulatory framework that collectively would help the government to implement public road construction projects successfully. Because no single factor can reliably attain objectives, blending these factors through a hybrid governance system would enable the government to achieve value for money, increase the quality and quantity of paved roads and save funds that can be channeled to other priority sectors for economic development.,Despite scholarly efforts to establish project success factors, studies have been limited to factors directly impacting the project success without considering a mediating effect among the factors that affect the success of these projects.","PeriodicalId":45136,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Procurement","volume":"20 1","pages":"209-233"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2020-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/jopp-12-2018-0052","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48235923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dolores Kuchina‐Musina, John C. Morris, Joshua Steinfeld
{"title":"Drivers and differentiators: a grounded theory study of procurement in public and private organizations","authors":"Dolores Kuchina‐Musina, John C. Morris, Joshua Steinfeld","doi":"10.1108/jopp-10-2019-0068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jopp-10-2019-0068","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this study is to examine procurement professionals’ perceptions of public-private partnerships in contract arrangements and to explore decision-making that takes place in the contracting process.,A grounded theory approach is applied to Simon’s (1947) model of decision-making to better understand the perceptions of procurement professionals, especially because it pertains to public vs private sector contexts. The researchers collected data by conducting interviews and observing a compliance webinar of federal contracting employees.,The results show that in the decision-making process, Simon’s illustration of a means-end hierarchy is applicable for procurement decision-making because it is driven by activities that are evaluated using aims established by the organization.,The implications are that, in the procurement decision-making process, a means-end hierarchy is driven by the activities that are evaluated using aims established by the organization. Essentially, the activities are associated to a mean, a mean is associated to a sub-goal and the sub-goal supports the main aim of the organization.,This study supports the notion that training, information and procedures are a way for organizations to control behaviors and promote consistent results from their subordinates.,This study contributes by examining the drivers of procurement decision-making. Despite previous literature that focuses on practitioner discretion or emphasizes on socio-economic factors, this study highlights the linkages between practitioner decision-making and organizational aims and objectives. As such, the paper serves to illustrate the vital connection between procurement activities and outputs.","PeriodicalId":45136,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Procurement","volume":"20 1","pages":"265-285"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2020-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/jopp-10-2019-0068","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47216343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A systems approach for green public procurement implementation","authors":"Conghu Wang, Yuhua Qiao, Xiaoming Li","doi":"10.1108/jopp-03-2019-0017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jopp-03-2019-0017","url":null,"abstract":"This paper aims to identify important factors in green public procurement (GPP) implementation and then to clarify how these factors affect GPP implementation.,The authors applied the Delphi method first and then conducted a focused and constrained multiple case study at 18 government procurement centers across China.,The authors identified four clusters of factors for successful GPP implementation: more clear, consistent and operational policy goals; a nation-wide green procurement campaign to enhance social capital and cultural resources; promoting staff’s ethics, professionalism, capacity and knowledge; and establishing checks and balances among organizations involved in the whole purchasing process.,GPP can significantly improve environmental protection and sustainable development.,Based on key insights from systems theory and agency theory, the authors emphasize that GPP implementation must take down its own functional silos and adopt a process approach across organizational tiers to synchronize human resource based and inter-organizational capabilities into a unified whole through information sharing, communications and collaboration.","PeriodicalId":45136,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Procurement","volume":"20 1","pages":"287-311"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2020-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/jopp-03-2019-0017","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42913345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
E. Kissi, T. Adjei-Kumi, Samuel Twum-Ampofo, C. Debrah
{"title":"Identifying the latent shortcomings in achieving value for money within the Ghanaian construction industry","authors":"E. Kissi, T. Adjei-Kumi, Samuel Twum-Ampofo, C. Debrah","doi":"10.1108/jopp-11-2019-0075","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jopp-11-2019-0075","url":null,"abstract":"The non-achievement of projects of best value remains a perennial problem within the construction industry. This paper aims to identify the latent shortcomings affecting the achievement of value for money (VfM) within the Ghanaian construction industry.,From a comprehensive literature review and pilot survey, 18 variables responsible for the non-achievement of VfM were identified. Through purposive and snowballing sampling techniques, a questionnaire was administered to the target professionals. Factor analysis was used to establish the latent shortcomings underlying the same dimensions of VfM achievement in the Ghanaian construction industry.,A total of six components were identified and explained as external factors; institutional culture and policy constraints; technical and decision-making factors; human-related factors and accountability and transparency constraints. The relative importance index was used in analysing the strategies to addressing the shortcomings.,The prevalent situation of poorly delivered projects and the continuous campaign for VfM necessitated the need for a study into explaining the latent shortcomings in achieving VfM within the Ghanaian construction industry. It is recommended that governments give VfM in public projects serious attention. This would help to reduce the overall cost of construction projects without compromising quality. When VfM is taken seriously, governments can save more money and undertake more projects as well as gain public acceptance in terms of transparency and accountability.,This study has set the pace for further research in the VfM analysis by identifying the latent shortcoming, which other developing countries can emulate.","PeriodicalId":45136,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Procurement","volume":"20 1","pages":"313-330"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2020-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/jopp-11-2019-0075","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43140780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}