Prabir Panda

Electronic government procurement implementation in India: a cross sectional study

In the recent past, electronic procurement has drawn lots of attention in India due to its potential of bringing transparency and efficiency in public purchases. The Government of India launched National E-Government Plan in 2006 with e-procurement as integrated Mission Mode Project. The purpose of this paper is to assess the status of e-procurement implementation in India for government procurements. The paper delves into the co-relation between e-procurement system utilisation and e-readiness level of each state government and union territory in India. The research entailed census survey which was complemented by qualitative case studies and analysis of data hosted on e-procurement portals. The study brings out that there is significant co-relation between e-readiness level and utilisation of e-procurement system by a state. Barring few states where top leadership support has been a key factor behind success of e-procurement implementation in remaining states the system is under-utilised.

E-Government Procurement Implementation: Necessity of National Procurement Law

The benefits of e-procurement implementation for public procurement is a well research area. The adoption of e-procurement results in cost savings to exchequer by increasing operational efficiency, transparency, competition among bidders and organizational effectiveness through automation of manual processes. The review of contemporary research literature brings out procurement process engineering, change management and top management support as some of the critical success factors for e-procurement project implementation. It is also well known that NeGP project was launched in 2006 with e-Procurement as integrated Mission Mode Project. A recent review of the e-procurement implementation by DIT, Ministry of Commn & IT brought out that the progress in this area has been dismal. Barring few states like Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh etc, the project has not taken off. This lack of progress (when seen in the light of rampant corruption in India) becomes a cause of serious concern. In this backdrop we undertook study of various statues, rules and government order governing public procurement in India. In order to develop better understanding of the research domain we undertook template analysis of successful e-procurement implementation by State Governments of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In addition, we interacted with some of the stakeholders to elicit their views on how a legal framework could help in smoother and faster roll out of e-procurement projects in public sector. The research methodology followed included analysis based on an elaborate study of various government policies and guidelines and their impact. Fact findings are provided through journal articles, information hosted on government portals, statues, rules, regulations and government resolutions relating to e-procurement and government purchasing. The study concludes that since “Procurement” doesn’t figure in either State List or in Concurrent List, therefore Indian Parliament can make law on the subject for the entire country. However, no separate law governing public procurement has been enacted in India. Finally, the paper brings out broad contours of a modal procurement law that would expedite the e-procurement implementation in India in an optimal manner.

Fulfilling public procurement expectations in India: need of legislative intervention

Research by Clausen et al [8] underscored that in order to operate effectively, public institutions must inspire confidence in those they serve. The low level of confidence of Indians and world community in the transparency and efficacy of the government machinery is reflected in the Transparency [46] and competitive rankings [49] which preclude effective utilization of public funds [33]. Research by Kimberley [24] underscores the importance of e-Governance mechanisms to free and fair trade, particularly through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) interoperability and interconnectivity, data sharing through international standards and process transparency. In view of these issues and other tangible and intangible benefits, Government of India launched National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) in 2006 to promote e-Gov services within the country. E-Procurement was included in NeGP as an Integrated Mission Mode Project (MMP) [36]. However, in the absence of enabling legal framework, e-procurement implementations in India have not been able to fully realize the potential of the system like greater transparency, cost-effectiveness etc. The emerging issues of public procurement like balancing Social, Environmental and Economic considerations are also difficult to address in the prevailing legal environment governing government purchases. Based on the experience gained through qualitative case studies and semi structured interviews of the stakeholders, in this paper we briefly cover legal and policy frameworks related prerequisites for sustainable public procurement in India. Finally we suggest a model national procurement law which could help fulfilling e-procurement expectations in Indian context. The paper extends the existing body of knowledge on e-procurement by comparing legal imperatives of a statue vis-à-vis Critical Success Factors (CSF) in relation to sustainable procurement.

Public Procurement Framework in India: A Critical Review

Studies highlight that probity in public procurement in a country influences public opinion about fairness of public institutions (Clausen, Kraay, and Nyiri, 2009; Neupane, Soar and Vaidya, 2012). In India, a number of cases related to corruption in public procurements have been highlighted by media. Resultant adverse public opinion has resulted in poor standing of the country in various international rankings. For example, India is ranked 94/176 in Corruption Index (Transparency International, 2012), 51/139 on Competitive Index (WEF, 2010) and 124/190 on e-Gov Rankings (UNPAN, 2012). These incidents and rankings raise questions regarding robustness of the public procurement practices in the country. Objective of this chapter is review various constitutional, legislative and administrative stipulations which guide public procurements in India. The chapter brings out that even though there is no central law on public procurement, the procurement process is standard and uniform throughout India.

e-government procurement implementation in India: two comparative case studies from the field

The turn of century saw ICT technologies making inroads into our lives. The governments world over are trying to use this medium for reaching out to their citizenry. This migration has been partly driven by transparency, efficiency and wider-access related benefits accrued by automation of government functions. E-Government Procurement (E-GP) is one such area which has drawn attention of politicians and researchers equally. However, studies bring out that E-GP project like any other e-Governance project has 70% chances of failure. Studies also underline that success of any E-GP system among other things, is affected by national culture, project environment (E-Readiness, IT literacy level and technological evolution) and regulatory framework which govern public procurement in a country. Indian government having realized the transparency and efficiency related benefits of E-GP system initiated an aggressive campaign to ensure its speedier implementation through National E-Governance Programme (NeGP) which was launched in 2006. However, recent review by Government of India (GoI) brought out that E-GP usage in the country has been less than satisfactory. In above perspective, this paper aims to undertake Template Analysis of stage-wise importance of 11 Critical Success Factors (CSF) (reported in literature) in E-GP project outcome in Indian context. For covering large landscape of E-GP implementation in India, two representative systems i.e. those implemented by Government of Andhra Pradesh and National Informatics Corporation were selected. The study concludes that out of 11 CSFs, five CSFs are not important at stage 2 of E-GP project evolution, while all 11 CSFs contribute to E-GP project success at Stage 3 and 4.

Right to Education: Effective Use of ICT for Reaching Out to Socially and Economically Weaker Sections in India

Most of the enrollment growth in the coming several decades will be in developing countries and India will contribute a significant proportion of that expansion. India by enacting “Right to Education Act, 2009” has set out on an ambitious path to provide free and compulsory education to all children in the 6 to 14 age group. As a result the number of students enrolled in elementary schools in far flung villages would definitely see a quantum jump. Challenges of funding, availability of qualified teachers, and building a sustainable academic culture and school infrastructure are significant and real. Providing access to the free education for the children of downtrodden peoples like tribals, lower castes, and dalits is a complex issue in India wherein the fragmentation in the society along religious, ethnic and linguistic lines is deep rooted. In addition, rampant poverty which is the root cause of child labor leaves no time for the affected children to undertake formal schooling. In this paper we review various facets of and challenges in providing access to universal elementary education for the children from socially weaker sections in India. The paper delves into various aspects of this ambitious aim and suggest measures for mitigating the risks and pitfall in India’s march towards achievement of 100% literacy of over 1 billion people. We also explore the ways in which the strengths of ICT can be leveraged in achievement of the goal.