The Relationship Between Procurement Stakeholders and its Effect on the Performance of the South African Commuter Bus Industry: The Case of Gauteng

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between the key stakeholders of the commuter bus industry in Gauteng Province and its effect on performance. The paper is descriptive and exploratory in nature and employed a mixed-method research approach. The data were collected from a sample of 18 respondents who are key stakeholders directly involved in the procurement of subsidised commuter bus services in the Gauteng province using face-to-face interviews with a semi-structured questionnaire. The findings revealed that the procurement practices employed, namely, interim, negotiated and tender contracts, have complicated the stakeholders' relations. Limited relations prevail with stakeholders preferring the procurement practice employed (while operators prefer the negotiated method and the government prefers the competitive method), compliance with the policies and a commitment to building the industry as a whole, to mention but a few. The paper then recommends that the government needs to continue working on the relationship with the operators for the betterment of this industry. All operators should be considered or consulted in all communication and/or planning.