Journal of Public Procurement

Improving Procurement Through Regression Analysis: A Case Study of Predicting Argentine Jet Fuel Prices

Of all oil products consumed by the Argentine Air Force (AAF), jet fuel is the resource with highest demand and at the end of the day the most expensive support item procured by the AAF. Accurate predictions of Argentine jet fuel prices are necessary to improve AAF financial and logistics planning. Multiple regression analysis is one such tool that can aid in accurately forecasting the amount required when procuring this valuable commodity. Using this methodology, we develop and illustrate a ...

Public Procurement and Innovation: Towards a Taxonomy

The role of public procurement as an instrument to stimulate innovation has been increasingly emphasized by European policymakers. This perspective raises demand for the understanding of public procurement as an activity taking place in a variety of different procurement contexts and as an act of innovation. Accordingly, this paper proposes a taxonomy of public procurement and innovation, combining interactive learning and evolutionary perspectives on innovation processes to account for the b...

Does E-Procurement Save the State Money?

Scientific literature reports scarce evidence of whether Internet-based procurement systems improve the efficiency of State purchases. We propose a methodology to estimate savings in: (i) the centralization of administrative tasks, and (ii) price differentials due to a larger number of contractors and suppliers bidding on contracts. We test our methods with ChileCompra, the Chilean e-procurement agency. During 2007, 885 Chilean State agencies used this system to purchase US$4.5 billion in pro...

Bridging the Divide - Commercial Procurement and Supply Chain Management: Are There Lessons for Health Care Commissioning in England?

Current English health policy is focused on strengthening the 'demand-side' of the health care system. Recent reforms are designed to significantly enhance the capability and status of the organisations responsible for commissioning health care services and, in so doing, to address some of the perceived problems of a historically provider/supplier-led health system. In this context, commissioning organisations are being encouraged to draw on concepts and processes derived from commercial proc...

The Purchase of Technology in Health Organisations: An Analysis of Its Impact On Performance

The paper presents an investigation carried out in an Italian health organisation, aimed at studying the purchasing process of medical equipment at the hospital ward level, and at assessing its impact on hospital ward performance. A model of the decision process that leads to purchase is developed. The results show that the acquisition of technology has a positive impact on the ward's relative efficiency, and that efficiency is further linked to the specific goals pursued by the head of ward ...