New development: Procurement and policy outcomes—a bridge too far?

Abstract

This article furthers the discussion in the March 2015 (Vol. 35, No. 2) issue of Public Money & Management on ‘Public procurement policy and practice— international lessons and debates’. In particular, it illustrates some of the major difficulties in achieving the required policy outcomes through the procurement processes. The numerous ‘failures’, particularly in the defence acquisitions area, are of ongoing concern both in terms of ‘blow-outs’ in costs and, more unfortunately, in achieving strategic defence capability and overall policy outcomes in required timeframes. Can current public sector reforms and observed better practice provide any encouragement for, discipline on, participants to achieve the required results or is it all just too difficult?

Keywords:

• Audit
• capability
• policy outcomes
• procurement
• risk