E‐procurement implementation: a case of Malaysia government

Abstract

PurposeMany countries worldwide have identified e‐procurement as a priority of e‐government agenda and have implemented, or are in the process of implementing, e‐procurement systems. The purpose of this paper is to understand the challenges of e‐procurement implementation in the government sector and efforts taken to overcome the challenges, using a Malaysia government case.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a qualitative case study approach of an e‐procurement project, which is one of Malaysia's e‐government initiatives. Data were collected using a triangulation approach that involved semi‐structured interviews, document reviews and observation.FindingsThe theoretical framework draws on Croom and Brandon‐Jones and was further developed during data analysis. Findings show that challenges of e‐procurement implementation in government sector are not only related to software integration, data management and roll‐out strategy, but also to legal and administration procedures, information technology (IT) infrastructure, outsourcing contract and IT skills. Findings show the importance of creating an IT facilities centre in rural areas and working closely with a third‐party vendor for users' training and skills development.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings extend key issues of e‐procurement implementation using a case study in the Malaysia government. The paper highlights the need to understand challenges and limitations faced by a developing countries such as Malaysia in implementing e‐government projects. The paper provides a basis for further thought and analysis on important issues such as lack of IT infrastructure and skills, as well as high dependency on third‐party developers that needs to be overcome in order to gain the impact of an e‐procurement system.Practical implicationsThis paper has explored implementation issues of e‐procurement in government sectors, particularly in developing countries, and hence provides guidelines for future implementation strategy for system developers, government officials and ministry.Originality/valueOnly limited studies examine the implementation issues of e‐procurement in the government sector, especially in developing countries. While current studies focus more on the readiness of implementing e‐procurement, this study posits to understand the challenges faced by a developing country in e‐procurement implementation.

The Implementation of Cloud Accounting in Public Sector

“…The same framework is also used and extended by Aman and Kasimin (2011). Aman and Kasimin (2011) study the challenges in implementing eProcurement system in Malaysia. Following this, Aman and Mohamed (2012) use the framework to understand the implementation of cloud accounting in offshore accounting outsourcing.…”

“…Findings also show the important of antivirus, firewall and authorized user as well as a Service Level Agreement to enhance trust on the secured transactions and performance of the service providers. This study will use the framework by Aman and Kasimin (2011) as it is useful in providing asystematic guidance to understand the challenges in the implementation of cloud accounting in public sector.…”

“…2) How does public sector overcome those challenges? This study uses a framework of system implementation (Aman & Kasimin 2011) in the context public sector in Malaysia to provide empirical understanding of cloud accounting implementation. This article is organized as follows.…”

Electronic Reverse Auctions: Spawning Procurement Innovation in the Context of Arab Culture

“…Limited studies document the challenges of e-procurement implementation in governments, and extant research tends to focus on implementation and modernization issues rather than documenting how government e-procurement can be an active tool for engaging local cultural phenomena (c.f., Aman and Kasimin, 2011). One study of interest documented the power of engaging local "institutional entrepreneurs" in order to institutionalize a public e-procurement system in a developing country (Wahid and Sein, 2013).…”

“…This case overcame all these obstacles, focusing on the innovative aspects of eRA adoption as a means of addressing national and organizational culture complexities, how one agency overcame multiple obstacles to generate impressive results, and the implications of that success for the overall progress of this technique in public sector procurement. This research contributes to the nascent literature assessing how to institutionalize a public e-procurement system in a developing country (Wahid and Sein, 2013), as well as to the body of research documenting the human factor in successful implementation of government eprocurement systems (Aman and Kasimin, 2011;Rana, et al, 2013), demonstrating how e-government has the potential to play an important role in developing country economic competitiveness (Omur, et al, 2009). The presented case also demonstrates the power of transparency and right-toaccess government information as transformative in an emerging economy (Bertot, et al, 2012).…”