Adoption of E-Procurement in Public Sector, Challenges and Prospects

Abstract

The study sought to analyze the adoption of e-procurement in the public sector, as well as the difficulties and opportunities, through a case study of the Government Procuring Service Agency (GPSA). The study used a cross-sectional research design that included both quantitative and qualitative methods. Data were gathered from m a total of 100 participants, which included 95 suppliers who were enrolled in GSPSA via TANePS and 5 GPSA staff. There were two data gathering instruments used: a questionnaire and an in-depth interview. For quantitative analysis, the study employed descriptive statistics and inferential analysis, specifically multiple linear regression. The score value (p 0.05) was utilized to interpret the results. The researcher used content analysis to analyze qualitative data. The major findings revealed that the managerial function and regulatory framework hampered the adoption of e-procurement. The study concludes that the small number of registered suppliers for e-procurement is related to senior management's managerial function and the legislative environment. The study suggests that the Tanzanian government, through policymakers, strengthen the legislative environment, such as privacy laws, e-signature legislation, and other cybercrime laws, in order to attract suppliers to register their businesses with TANePS.