Joshua M. Steinfeld

Examining professionalisation in public procurement by ranking practitioner job positions according to job activities

Similar to public administration over the last couple of decades, public procurement is trying to define itself as a profession. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide a framework for analysing job positions within the occupation of public procurement and to examine the fields potential for professionalisation. The data originates from a survey of public procurement practitioners administered by the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC) that is intended to obtain information with regards to task and knowledge areas. Distinctions can be made between job positions that serve to rank order public procurement practitioners, which may eventually lead to an argument for professionalising the occupation. The job activities performed and managed in perhaps the fastest growing occupation within the public sector are catalogued in this study. Furthermore, practitioner membership to professional associations and attainment of certifications are analysed to test for the advent of professionalisation across job positions.

Public procurement and the BLS: operationalizing occupational duties

Purpose – Procurement is a specific, yet dynamic area of work and study that is recognized as an occupation by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). However, there is growing literature that substantiates differences in theory and practice, between procurement practitioners in the private and public sectors. The purpose of this paper is to validate the procurement occupational duties identified by the BLS with actual job activities performed and managed by public sector practitioners. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a survey of public sector practitioners to obtain information with regards to occupational duties and job activities in public procurement, as compared to a BLS proxy for procurement. Findings – Public procurement practitioners complete the occupational duties identified by BLS, yet there is one occupational duty in public procurement that is absent from the BLS description for procurement. Practical implications – Empirical data and analysis identifies the potential for...

Professionalism as social responsibility in procurement and administration

Purpose The purpose of this empirical study is to identify the job tasks where decisions regarding social responsibility are likely to occur and assess the potential connections between social responsibility and professionalism. Design/methodology/approach A job study conducted by the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC) of 2,593 practitioners is used for data collection. Factor analysis is applied to a set of 75 procurement job tasks to determine the relationship between practitioners’ performance and management of job tasks and social responsibility variables. Findings The results suggest that there are specific job tasks performed and managed in both public and private sector procurement that share a unique relationship with social responsibility variables. Research limitations/implications The manuscript advances the research on professionalism in procurement and administration through empirically testing job tasks performed and managed by practitioners and identifying relationships between job tasks according to a professional orientation toward social responsibility. Practical implications The study shows that specific job tasks are performed and managed in procurement and administration with a social responsibility consideration. Social implications The technical nature of job tasks found to be related to social responsibility suggests a paradoxical view of the politics-administration dichotomy, and the notion that neutral tasks of both the public and private sectors are not void of a social function. Originality/value One attribute of professionalism in the literature, social responsibility, is operationalized through actual performance and management of job tasks by practitioners.

Deepwater or Troubled Water? Principal–Agent Theory and Performance-Based Contracting in the Coast Guard’s Deepwater Modernization Program

ABSTRACT In the mid-1990s, the United States Coast Guard began planning a modernization effort known as the Deepwater program to replace an aging inventory of cutters, aircraft, and small boats. This effort involved a consortium of corporations to develop a “system of systems” to meet performance-based requirements and build the new equipment. This article examines the Deepwater program through the lens of multilayered principal–agent theory and evaluates the performance-based contracting (PBC) method used to alleviate strains linked to accountability from the principal–agent relationship. The findings help better understand the dilemmas prescribed from multilayered principal–agent theory and PBC by illustrating the accountability issues faced by smaller organizations when engaging in complex, large-scale procurement.

The What, Who, and How of Public Procurement: Job Functions Performed and Managed by Professionals

Public procurement practitioners and scholars have recently become focused on professionalism to promote standardization and a foundation for studying the job functions of the practice. The goal of this empirical study is to examine what public procurement practitioners actually do on their job and who may qualify as professionals for the field. Sensitivity analysis is utilized to determine the job tasks public procurement practitioners perform and manage, along with the job descriptions of practitioners who complete these tasks, as a starting point for examining how practitioners approach completion of their work. The political and neutral orientations of public procurement and administration are subsequently theorized for future inquiry into public procurement practices and outcomes.

The Achaemenid Empire’s Contributions to Public Administration

The Achaemenid Empire established the world’s first complex administrative system of government in 559 B.C. There are numerous administrative accomplishments by the Achaemenids that have not successfully been duplicated in modern times, despite the Pony Express, the Suez Canal, and perfected recycling systems. Political debate, formal rewards systems, federal agencies, and integrated federal and provincial levels of government among a culturally diverse population were characteristic of the trailblazing Achaemenid Empire. Furthermore, administrative ideologies such as government’s responsibility to serve the public and provide equal rights were incorporated first by Cyrus the Great’s Human Rights Charter.