Public procurement trends and developments in South Africa

Abstract

Since the end of the apartheid regime in South Africa, public procurement has been used explicitly to pursue socio-economic objectives. Beyond the primary goal of advancing social objectives, public procurement in South Africa is also leveraged towards generating employment, enhancing domestic manufacturing capacity, and supporting the nascent renewable energy industry. This article explores public procurement practices in South Africa, and highlights the trends and developments that have emerged since 2004 based on a theoretical review. The article reveals that the lack of clearly defined strategic goals and various misconceptions about the concept of supply chain management, have led to the need for continuous transformation of procurement practices in the quest for better services to the citizens of the country. Some of the key public procurement trends and developments that have occurred since 2004 are discussed. This article recommends that, for South Africa government to gain the full benefit of procurement processes there is an urgent need for a shared vision among key stakeholders, ethical leadership and the development of sophisticated curricula by academic institutions