Barriers to the implementation of e-procurement in the public sector: focusing on the government pensions Administrations Agency

Abstract

Previous studies show that e-procurement can improve public procurement tremendously. However, due to many factors, the South African government has experienced challenges in the implementation of a comprehensive widely accepted e-procurement system. A qualitative study was conducted to explore the barriers to the full implementation of e-procurement in the public sector, specifically at the Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA). Face-to-face and online interviews were conducted with the Supply Chain Management (SCM) staff at the GPAA. Thematic analysis was used to interpret and analyse the data from the interviews. Findings from the study revealed that barriers emanate from budget constraints, resistance to change, dynamics in institutions, complexity in systems, security reasons, time to implement, lack of infrastructure, and no applicable legislation to support e-procurement. The findings also revealed that integration, legislation, staff training, centralisation, budgeting and/or investing, stakeholder engagements, fast tracking the process, staff buy-in or senior management support and data security are necessary requirements for the transition from manual to electronic procurement. This study made several important suggestions for future research in the areas of the implementation of e-procurement in the public sector in South Africa which include the cost of e-procurement, legislation for e-procurement, security threats associated with e-procurement, capacitation for e-procurement, and the mechanisms of e-procurement.