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.

MODEL ESTIMATION OF THE WHOLE LIFE COST OF A BUILDING WITH RESPECT TO RISK FACTORS

The paper deals with estimating the life cycle cost and the whole life cost of a building. An original model for estimating the life cycle cost and the whole life cost of a building which allows the quantification of the increase in costs resulting from the incurred and assessed risk is presented. The proposed model consists of two basic parts: module I evaluating the impact of identified risk factors on individual element of the life cycle cost, and module II allowing to assess life cycle cost including the risk factors selected in module I. In module I the model of fuzzy inference of Mamdani was used. The structure of module II is based on the theory of possibilities and fuzzy sets. The operation of the model is presented on the example of an office building.

Review of Research on the Application of Ferrocement in Composite Precast Slabs

Ferrocement has had a long history since it was first patented in 1856. Its significant benefits as construction material have been proven with numerous theoretical and experimental studies throughout the world for many years. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the studies on mechanical properties of ferrocement as used in precast and composite precast slabs. Additionally, this paper identifies and prioritizes the most advantageous designs for precast and composite precast ferrocement slabs and reviews the improved characteristics of ferrocement in comparison to traditional reinforced concrete concerning first crack load, ductility, capacity, whole-life cost benefits, and versatile application. Flexible options for different types of applications with its thin structural form provided by ferrocement and its contribution to the first crack load and ductility were discussed. The paper concludes by summarizing success-full uses and the advantages of ferrocement composite applications in precast structures.

Extending the Service Life of Pavements

The cost of road construction and expenditures on the maintenance of pavements, i.e., their whole life cost, represents a lot of money. The paper describes a procedure for a pavement management system with degradation models and estimates the length of time for the rehabilitation of an asphalt pavement. Using a theory of pavement mechanics, we calculated the stresses and strains on the layers of two pavement models. High modulus asphalt concrete, an asphalt mix with a high binder content, and an asphalt mix with binder modifications are new road building materials. Prolonging the time for the rehabilitation of pavements is possible.