Discuss how procurement can be used as a development tool in enhancing service delivery.
According to (Basheka, 2009) good governance involves a public sector that is responsive to citizenry and reasonably efficient in delivery of public services and he adds that a well-functioning public sector also involves transparency and predictability of its decision-making processes and oversight mechanisms to guard against arbitrariness and to ensure accountability in the use of public resources which calls for procurement.
Traditionally, public procurement has been perceived as the intermediate step between the determination of a need (service delivery managers) and the satisfaction of that need (suppliers) (Coe, 1989). Similarly, (Gordon, 1991) contends that public procurement encompasses the total process of supplying goods and services to user agencies and disposing of surplus property. Given these definitions, the primary purpose of the purchasing function is to assist service (Clifford, McCue and Gerasimos, 2001).
There is no sector of government that is not affected, directly or indirectly, positively or negatively, expectedly or unexpectedly, by public procurement since all sectors need goods, services and works to be able to deliver services (Basheka, 2009).Procurement and its management is a core function of public financial management and service delivery (Harmonizing Donor Practices for Effective Aid Delivery, 1999).
Even in those few instances where the purchasing function is examined, researchers have focused almost exclusively on the process components of purchasing, irrespective of the potential impacts that alternative procurement systems have on service delivery efficiency and effectiveness (Clifford, McCue and Gerasimos, 2001).
Other sources argue that competitive tendering procedures have a significantly negative impact on the quality of social services (European Commission
References: B. Basheka (2009, Section 1). International Hand Book of Public Procurement. Public Procurement Reforms in Africa: A Tool for Effective Governance of the Public Sector and Poverty Reduction McCue.C.P, and GerasimosA.G, (2001).Public Purchasing: Who’s Minding The store? Journal of public procurement, Volume 1, issue 1,71-95.PrAcademics Press Coe, C. K. (1989). Public Financial Management. Englewood Cliff, NJ: Prentice Hall. Erridge, A and Hennigan,S. (2005, chapter 13). Public Procurement and Social Policy in Northern Ireland: The Unemployment Pilot Project Fung, P Gordon, S. (1991). Purchasing. In J. E. Petersen & D. R. Strachota (Eds.), Local Government Finance: Concepts and Practices (pp French, J. (2008). Procurement Guide for Social Marketing Services. National Social Marketing Centre McCue, C. P. & Pitzer, J. T. (2000). “Centralized vs. Decentralized Purchasing: Current Trends in Governmental Procurement Practices.” National Association of State Procurement Officials. (1997). State and Local Government Purchasing: Principles and Practices (5th ed.).Lexington, KY: Author. The article seems to express the need for socially responsible procurement. “Study on the incorporation of Social Considerations in Public Procurement in the EU, (2008)” Tren.R, Hess,K. and Bate,R. (2009).Drug procurement, the Global Fund misguided competition policies. Malaria journal, 8:305. Doi: 10.1186/1475-2875-8-305