CURENT RESEARCH ISSUES IN
PUBLIC PROCUREMENT
Khi V. Thai, Ph.D., Professor
Director, School of Public Administration
Interim Director, School of Criminology & Criminal Justice
Florida Atlantic University
PROCUREMENT RESEARCH:
RECENT DVELOPMENT AND
CURRENT STATUS
• Neglected research period: up to 1990
• A flurry of professional development activities
and research activities in the last twenty years
CURENT RESEARCH ISSUES
• Research Issue 1: Search for a common body of
knowledge
– Professionalizing public procurement
movement
– Common body of knowledge as one of four
attributes of a profession:
• Presence of systematic theory
• Authority over clients
• Community sanction
• Ethical codes
CURRENT RESEARCH ISSUES
• Research Issue 2: Procurement Reform
– Procurement system: regulations/laws,
procurement organization, procurement process,
and procurement workforce
CURENT RESEARCH ISSUES
• Research Issue 3: Procurement Preferences
– SMEs
– Local/national vendor preference vs.
international trade
CURENT RESEARCH ISSUES
• Research Issue 4: Procurement as an Economic
Policy dealing with Economic Recession: Assessing
its Effectiveness
CURENT RESEARCH ISSUES
• Research Issue 5: Search for Procurement Efficiency
and Effectiveness or procurement performance
improvement: A current but persistent research
issue
CURENT RESEARCH ISSUES
• Observations:
– Issues in procurement research:
• Lack of cooperation, national and international
• Lack of research result sharing or
dissemination
– Potential opportunities: suggestions and
discussions