Government purchasing: an evolving profession?

Abstract

As government organizations step hopefully into a new century, among the challenges they face will be the demands of the "New Purchasing" and persistent pressure to redefine the role of the purchasing practitioner in government. Reengineering of purchasing activities was a constant feature of the 1990s in many government jurisdictions. Those who manage the function usually influence a large share of organizational expenditure and must also cope with the demands of e-commerce, devolution of responsibility, partnering and strategic alliances, and the implications of globalization within the context of an accountable public sector. Applying some theoretical, functionalist models of a profession, this paper seeks to establish professional credentials for purchasing practitioners.

Strategic procurement in the public sector: A mask for financial and administrative policy

“…The field of public purchasing possesses a strong history in the United States from 1792 when the federal government authorized the --------------------* Darin Matthews, CPPO, C.P.M., First Vice President, National Institute of Departments of War and Treasury to contract on behalf of the nation. While the intent of Congress was likely to prevent corruption in the letting of government contracts, the authorization also served as an acknowledgement of the profession (Callender & Matthews, 2000). Public sector purchasing, which progressed over the years, was viewed largely as a clerical function by many and a controlling gatekeeper by others (Grimm, 1999).…”

Public Procurement: Public Administration and Public Service Perspectives

“…Most nations spend about 20% of gross domestic product (GDP) on public procurement (Callendar & Mathews, 2000;Carter & Grimm, 2001), and developing nations spend up to 50% (Schiavo-Campo & Sundaram, 2000, p. 315). In the United States, federal public procurement during 2009 accounted for over $534 billion (Federal Procurement Data System, 2011) and over 13% of the total federal budget; of the U.S. states' annual budgets, roughly half goes toward goods and services procured from the private sector (Knight et al, 2003).…”

Supply management in American public administration: Towards an academic discipline?

“…More recently, supply management's importance was illustrated in large scale military and relief operations such as the Berlin Airlift (Tusa and Tusa, 1988), the first Gulf War (Pagonis and Cruikshank, 1992), and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (Levitt, 2009 Second, the sheer magnitude of resources devoted to public procurement compels attention. Scholars estimate that most nations spend roughly 20 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in public procurement (Callendar and Mathews, 2000;Carter and Grimm, 2001), with developing nations spending up to fifty per cent of GDP (Schiavo-Campo and Sundaram, 2000, p. 315). In the U.S., federal public procurement during 2009 accounted for over $500 billion, over thirteen per cent of the total federal budget, and of the U.S. states' annual budgets, roughly fifty percent goes toward goods and services procured from the private sector .…”