Integrating cleantech into innovative public procurement process – evidence and success factors

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 336-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katriina Alhola ◽  
Ari Nissinen
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Clean Technology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Procurement Process ◽  
Technology Innovations ◽  
Innovation Potential ◽  
Strategic Commitment ◽  
System Life

Purpose The purpose of this study is to promote clean technology development and diffusion through public procurement. Finland is ranked high among the countries that develop clean technology innovations. Innovative public procurement could be one means to boost the diffusion of such technologies. However, this potential is still somewhat unexploited, as innovative public procurement is an unsystematic method of procuring in Finland and the EU, partly because of an inability to understand innovation potential in the market and to implement innovative procurement. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the authors illustrate how cleantech aspects can be integrated into the public procurement process. The authors study the key success factors and conditions that have led to a successful cleantech procurement process by exploring realized cases of innovative public clean technology procurement. Findings The results suggest that innovative public procurement, in which clean technology is an integrated part, may occur in different forms, from a procurement of a highly improved product or solution to a product-service system or a collaborative symbiosis system. Life cycle consideration, strategic commitment and recognition of needs of the procuring unit were prioritized as the most important factors leading to successful integration of cleantech aspects into procurement process.

scholarly journals Early contractor involvement approaches in public project procurement

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulos Abebe Wondimu ◽  
Ali Hosseini ◽  
Jadar Lohne ◽  
Ola Laedre
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Public Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Treat All ◽  
First Time ◽  
Project Procurement ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose Early contractor involvement (ECI) faces many barriers when it is implemented in public procurement, given that it is different from traditional business practices. Primarily, public owners face a major challenge, as they should treat all bidders equally. The purpose of this paper is to explore suitable ECI approaches that public owners could use. Design/methodology/approach In addition to a literature and document study, 14 semi-structured in-depth interviews with key personnel from 11 cases selected from Norwegian public bridge projects were carried out. Findings In all, 23 unique approaches of ECI were identified during this research (16 from literature and 7 new from case projects). The findings provide a new direction to ECI through introducing new approaches of ECI from the case projects. Originality/value This paper for the first time presents several alternatives of ECI approaches for public owners with the intention of illustrating ECI is actually possible in the public project procurement. Furthermore, it presents for the first time success factors of ECI with the intention of increasing the understanding of ECI concept from a public procurement perspective.

Structuring architectural competitions as a competitive procurement process

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Laryea ◽  
Ron Watermeyer
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tender Offers ◽  
Procurement Process ◽  
Procurement Procedure ◽  
Architectural Competitions ◽  
The Way

PurposeArchitectural competitions have been in existence for over 2,500 years. Past studies on this have focussed on the architectural aspects, competition formats, design evaluation by jury members and its evolution. However, no comprehensive research has examined the way that architectural competitions can be structured as a competitive procurement process for contractual outcomes. This paper addresses that gap by examining the way in which a two-stage proposal procedure (as defined by ISO 10845) was used to convert the architectural ideas competition for two new universities in South Africa (SPU and UMP) into a public procurement process with contractual outcomes.Design/methodology/approachA case study was designed to examine (1) the procurement and contractual aspects of the two-stage proposal procedure within a public procurement context; (2) the challenges encountered in implementing the procurement procedure adopted; and (3) the outcomes of the procurement process. In total, 16 documents relating to the architectural competition were examined, using document analysis, to obtain insights into the procurement approach and processes. This was followed by in-depth interviews with the competition administrators to identify the key challenges encountered in implementing the procurement procedure. A content analysis method was used to analyse the qualitative data.FindingsOnly 40% of architects who expressed interest made submissions in the first stage. Those admitted to the second stage associated themselves with architectural practices and submitted tender offers which were evaluated on the basis of their financial offer, preference and quality. Most participants experienced difficulty with the procurement procedure due to unfamiliarity with the process and tight timescales. However, necessary clarifications provided by the client's team enabled them to respond appropriately and the procurement procedure proved effective for procuring innovative design ideas from nine talented architects. They were all based in small to medium-sized firms rather than large firms.Originality/valueThis paper fills an important gap in current understanding of how architectural competitions may be alternatively structured into a competitive procurement process, using empirical evidence from two architectural competitions. Architectural competitions have traditionally been used and characterized in the research literature primarily as an ideas competition rather than a competitive procurement process. This paper, therefore, extends current knowledge on the traditional way architectural competitions are generally used in practice and demonstrates through examination of two case studies how architectural competitions may be further extended and utilized as a competitive procurement process rather than just a process for obtaining ideas.

Public procurement performance and the challenge of service complexity – the case of pre-hospital healthcare

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-421
Author(s):  
Inger Johanne Pettersen ◽  
Kari Nyland ◽  
Geraldine Robbins
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Procurement Process ◽  
The Public ◽  
Social Controls ◽  
Public Sector Health

Purpose The 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. Design/methodology/approach The 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. Findings A 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. Research limitations/implications This study is based on one case and it should, therefore, not be generalized without limitations. Practical implications One 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. Social implications Acute 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. Originality/value The 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.

The impact of protectability and proactiveness on the environmental performance of new ventures

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Dickel
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Clean Technology ◽  
Proactive Behavior ◽  
Sustainable Entrepreneurship ◽  
Moderator Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Technology Ventures

Purpose Building on the natural resource-based view, this paper aims to explore the effects of technological protectability and proactiveness on new ventures’ environmental performance. Design/methodology/approach Data from 150 clean-technology ventures are analyzed using hierarchical and logistic regression analyses. Findings Empirical findings show that both protectability and proactive behavior increase environmental performance. Results further indicate a negative but not significant moderator effect of proactiveness on the protectability – environmental performance relationship. Research limitations/implications The research has been limited to clean-technology ventures. Findings provide empirical evidence on the link between proactiveness, a key dimension of entrepreneurial orientation, and environmental performance. The study further contributes to sustainable entrepreneurship research by showing that higher ecological gains can be achieved by proactive firms that are based on protected technologies. Practical implications The study provides a deeper understanding of the success factors of young firms with regard to their environmental impact. Findings suggest that policy makers and investors can use protectability and proactiveness as key characteristics to evaluate and foster a venture’s ecological potential. Originality/value The paper adds to existing literature on sustainable entrepreneurship by establishing a relationship between protectability, proactiveness and environmental performance.

Benchmarking accountability of local government authorities in public procurement in Tanzania

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 1829-1843 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monsiapile Gaudence Agapto Kajimbwa
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Local Government ◽  
International Development ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Procurement Process ◽  
Benchmark Assessment

PurposePublic management work has tended to ignore the application of benchmarking accountability of local government authorities (LGAs) in public procurement. To that effect, the purpose of this paper is to present the applicability of a benchmarking model as an instrument for improving accountability of procuring entities such as LGAs in public procurement practices.Design/methodology/approachA case study from United States Agency for International Development funded Chemonics International’s Program—Pamoja Twajenga in Tanzania has been used to effectively showcase the efficacy of the benchmarking model in increasing compliance and improve accountability of LGAs as procuring entities. Performance assessment of eight Tanzania LGAs’ internal public procurement practices was conducted using the benchmarking model. Benchmarking Framework of Compliance Standards and Performance Indictors in Public Procurement (FCSPIPP) was developed and applied in conducting a benchmark assessment of the LGAs. The methodology of a benchmark assessment encompassed number scoring of perceived performance of each LGA for each indicator of a compliance standard.FindingsThe case study has conceded that the benchmarking model is an instrument which can be applied for improving the accountability of LGAs in public procurement practices. Looking at the scale of LGAs’ purchases, the case study reveals that monitoring compliance may greatly benefit from the methodological approach of benchmarking. The benchmark assessment adopted in this case study offers a collective instrument for LGAs in developing countries to measure, compare and learn to improve in public procurement practices. The model offers public procurement entities, such as LGAs, with an opportunity to learn based on performance and improvement of peers. The FCSPIPP presented in this case study is the main pillar of the benchmark assessment in public procurement.Research limitations/implicationsThe major limitation of this case study is that it relies only on the findings and lessons learnt from the benchmarking of eight LGAs in Tanzania. Presumably, it would be useful to would have been more useful if more countries from developing economies were included in the case study; it could have increased the plausibility of the applicability of the model at the local government levels.Practical implicationsImplicitly, public procurement and regulatory authorities in developing countries need to learn, improve its role and develop capacity in the application of benchmarking for enforcing compliance in public procurement practices. Since the approach is based on listening from the procuring entities, the model provides the procurement Authority to work on policy challenges affecting the procuring entities to comply with what the procurement process requires. Deliberate efforts are needed to strengthen the capacity of developing countries to put in place policies and reforms that pave the way for the use of process benchmarking in public procurement at the LGAs level.Social implicationsSince benchmarking encourages active participation of the user department and community in the procurement process, presupposes curbing corruption red flags and improved value for money contracts for improved social services. The methodological approach of monitoring procuring entities, using process benchmarking, provides public procurement and regulatory agencies and LGAs a collegial, participative and self-discovering on what constitutes compliance. This may enhance the sense of answerability of procurement officers to citizens.Originality/valueThis study confirms the efficacy of the benchmarking model as an alternative and complementary instrument to traditional compliance audit in public procurement. The application of an FCSPIPP means that benchmarking results may be used to improve public procurement practices.

Framework contracts for medicine inventory management in public healthcare

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Muhammad Naiman Jalil ◽  
Wafa Malik ◽  
Areeb Javaid ◽  
Ali Jan Khan
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Inventory Management ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Procurement Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Procurement Process ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Procurement Contract

Learning outcomes This paper aims to highlight the implications of financial planning for public procurement process for medicine purchase. The purpose of this case is also to understand how the choice of contract type in public procurement impacts medicine inventory levels and availability. It finally highlights the appropriate configuration of framework procurement contract for procurement of discrete goods in the context of public sector procurement. Case overview/synopsis Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD), Government of the Punjab provides free public health-care services in the Punjab province. Public health-care services of P&SHD are organised in a tiered manner with almost 3,000 primary and secondary medical facilities dispersed throughout the Punjab province. P&SHD maintains inventories of approximately 300 medicines to support medical service provision. Complexity academic level This case can be taught in procurement and inventory management module of MBA level operations management course. It can also be used in executive course on public sector procurement management. The case aims to highlight the interrelation between inventory planning and procurement management process. Hence, it should be used after participants have understood inventory models, procurement process and procurement contract types. Standard readings or cases on inventory and procurement management that cover topics such economic order quantity, procurement process steps and procurement contracts can be used to develop this understanding. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 9: Operations and logistics.

Mobile usage in travel: bridging the supplier-user gap

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 771-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Linton ◽  
Robert J. Kwortnik
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Travel Behavior ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technology Innovations ◽  
Technology Industry ◽  
Technology Service ◽  
Travel Industry

PurposeConsumer-driven technology innovations are transforming travel behavior. However, travel suppliers are still struggling to grasp their customers’ desires regarding mobile device usage in travel and also face other barriers. This paper aims to take a two-pronged approach to identify the gap between what travelers would like to do on mobile devices and what suppliers currently offer and to provide insights from technology industry experts on future trends.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses two exploratory studies: a consumer survey to understand travelers’ needs and wants regarding mobile devices and a qualitative study to learn more about how travel suppliers are responding and to identify barriers. Statistical techniques include ANOVA tests to identify individual differences and factor analyses to discover patterns in the data.FindingsConsumers would like to do more on mobile devices than is currently available; therefore, industry providers must be more forward-thinking with technology development and overcome the barriers identified in this paper.Research limitations/implicationsGiven the limitations to existing supplier offerings and capabilities, travelers were asked what they would like to do on mobile devices. Although marketing and technology personnel from various companies were interviewed, other perspectives exist.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the technology adoption and service-supplier innovation literatures by helping mobile technology service providers in the travel industry better understand and bridge the supplier-user gap. Suggestions to close this gap and predictions from technology industry experts are included to direct future actions.

scholarly journals Implementing public procurement of innovations in an organization: lessons from Norway

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 252-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deodat Mwesiumo ◽  
Kjetil Magnus Olsen ◽  
Geir Arne Svenning ◽  
Richard Glavee-Geo
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
The Body ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Success Factors ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Execution Phase ◽  
Purposeful Sampling

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the drivers, enablers, barriers, key success factors, pitfalls and benefits of implementing public procurement of innovations (PPoI) in an organization. Design/methodology/approach The study deployed multiple-case design, whereby six case organizations were selected according to purposeful sampling. Data collection was carried out through in-depth semi-structured one-on-one interviews with key informants. Data analysis involved coding, synthesis, categorization and aggregation. Findings The study revealed that implementation of PPoI represents significant change in an organization, and thus, it identifies key enablers and barriers that organizations must overcome. Furthermore, the study revealed that implementation of PPoI is a necessary but not sufficient condition for reaping its benefits. Moreover, the study identified key success factors for achieving the desirable results and potential pitfalls that organizations should avoid to ensure that the execution phase is not hurt. Social implications Overall, the findings of the study imply that PPoI and the practices associated with it are valuable to the organizations implementing it and society at large. Thus, time and financial investments and the costs associated with the challenges and barriers of implementing it are justified by the resulting wider benefits and outcomes. Originality/value The study contributes by providing useful insights related to implementation of PPoI at an organizational level. Considering that extant literature provides limited insights on this subject, findings of this study should be of interest to researchers, public authorities, procurement practitioners, small- and medium-sized enterprises and other stakeholders. In particular, the study contributes to the body of knowledge on PPoI and offers actionable implications to both practitioners and policymakers.

Clarifying strategic alignment in the public procurement process

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 791-807
Author(s):  
Henrico Plantinga ◽  
Hans Voordijk ◽  
André Dorée
Keyword(s):  
Public Management ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Strategic Alignment ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Levels Of Abstraction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Procurement Process ◽  
The Public ◽  
Conceptual Clarity ◽  
Innovation Project

PurposeWhile the need for strategic alignment in public management has been recognized, there is a lack of conceptual clarity to support its application in practice. Focusing on the specific field of public procurement, this paper clarifies and illustrates how the concept of strategic alignment can be applied when strategizing the public procurement process.Design/methodology/approachThe current literature on strategic alignment in public procurement is critically reviewed to identify ambiguities that hamper its application in practice. Based on this review, an analytical framework is developed that conceptualizes strategic alignment as that between the procurement instruments used in a sourcing project and the corresponding higher-level strategies. The framework is empirically illustrated by applying it in a case study that reconstructs the procurement strategy for an innovation projectFindingsStrategic alignment in the public procurement process can be demonstrated by identifying, explicating and logically linking reasoning and trade-off decisions on competing priorities across multiple levels and dimensions of strategyOriginality/valueAlthough creating alignment between policy and public procurement practice is generally held to be important in the public management literature, it is only discussed on high levels of abstraction. This paper provides clarity by investigating alignment in greater detail.

A data visualization tool to benchmark government tendering process

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 836-853
Author(s):  
Amit Agrahari ◽  
Samir K. Srivastava
Keyword(s):  
Data Visualization ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Visualization Tool ◽  
Actual Process ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Procurement Process ◽  
Process Improvements ◽  
The Public ◽  
Process Level

PurposeGovernment e-Procurement systems are generating tender-level process event data which are not being analyzed much. The purpose of this paper is to present a data visualization tool to benchmark the government tendering process. This tool collects, collates and presents e-Procurement process data in a meaningful way that enables comparisons and benchmarking leading to insights for process improvements and identification of the best practices. This tool is accessible on the website of South Asia’s first public procurement observatory (www.procurementobservatoryup.com) founded by the authors.Design/methodology/approachThe authors started with an initial set of key performance indicators (KPIs) based on extant literature and existing practices. The authors got them verified by various relevant stakeholders through a series of formal and informal discussions. Some of them were dropped due to observed variations or their inability to offer insights to arrive at the final set of KPIs. In this paper, the authors use actual process-level data. Government of India’s National Informatics Center has implemented e-Procurement portals in various states and public enterprises (PEs) in India which provide tender-wise detailed e-tendering process data. The authors designed a web crawler that collects these data in a tabular format, which allows an easy analysis and comparison to measure and compare government tendering process performance for the last five years for the two large PEs. The authors also engaged in discussions with the procurement executives of the two PSEs to derive meaningful managerial insights from the results obtained.FindingsUsing the public procurement data visualization tool, the authors compare the procurement process of two of the largest Indian PEs, Coal India Limited and Indian Oil Corporation on the developed KPIs and draw insights. The results show significant difference in their procurement process performance due to different practices followed by them. Through interaction with the procurement managers of these two organizations, the authors identify few good procurement practices that can be applied to improve public procurement process.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper uses actual process-level data which can be used not just to identify improvement opportunities but also to gauge the impact of any process-level change. It presents a data visualization tool to generate insights from data generated by a procurement/tendering system. Such visualization and benchmarking can uncover better procurement practices and provide an impetus toward data-driven policy formulation. Apart from the two PEs as reported in this paper, this tool has also been applied on the public procurement data of eight Indian states.Practical implicationsThe KPIs presented in this paper are aligned with the various dimensions of public procurement’s objectives. The visualization tool presented in this paper is based on the Open Contract Data Standard and has a universal application.Social implicationsThe use of technology and open data sharing as the enablers of benchmarking and process improvements help in establishing a dynamic competitive environment leading to financial savings, better services to citizens and proper use of taxpayers’ money.Originality/valueThis paper presents an original work carried out under the aegis of South Asia’s first procurement observatory at IIM Lucknow. The benchmarking tool presented in this paper uses open contract data standard and can be applied in most of the public procurement processes. This paper takes the discussions on e-Procurement to the next level, where the concern is no longer restricted to only adoption and assimilation issues, but also on how to make use of the data that these e-Procurement systems generate.

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