Exploring differences in the american states’ procurement practices

Abstract

This exploratory article examines the issue of state government procurement. It uses original survey data to create a measure of reformed state procurement practices, as suggested by the literature, and explores the ability of several variables from the state policy literature to explain observed differences in state procurement. Findings suggest that the states' procurement practices possess varying degrees of reform characteristics, that interest group diversity, legislative professionalism, results-oriented management, and regional effects each have significant relationships to state procurement practices, and that several "classic" explanations of state policy are not significantly related to state procurement practices. One implication is that procurement, like other forms of state administrative policy, may not be readily explained by widely utilized theories of state policy.

Strategic procurement in the public sector: A mask for financial and administrative policy

“…Perhaps this is done in reaction to a personal experience with a local entity, or based upon information garnered through the local newspaper or television network. Governments at all levels are facing increased scrutiny which, according to Coggburn (2003), is warranted. It is such performance that is spotlighted by reinvention of government supporters as a prime area for reform (Gore, 1993).…”

E-procurement management in state governments: Diffusion of e-procurement practices and its determinants

“…Applying a diffusion perspective, some scholars have attempted to examine the diffusion of e-procurement (MacManus, 2002) and procurement reforms (Coggburn, 2003). Whereas MacManus calculates the implementation rate of public e-procurement systems and consequently offered a cautious and incremental perspective on their diffusion, Coggburn conducts an exploratory study to understand the political, socioeconomic, demographic, and geographic factors affecting the adoption of procurement reforms.…”

“…In his study of innovative procurement practices, Coggburn (2003) also proposes a positive relationship between legislative professionalism and reformed procurement practices. Similarly, a state where procurement professionalism is more valued tends to pursue innovative procurement practices such as e-procurement.…”

“…In particular, governments that more actively implement various managerial innovations might enjoy a strong culture of innovation, and thus are also likely to adopt e-procurement initiatives more easily and with less administrative resistance. For example, Coggburn (2003) finds that there is a close association between managing-for-result performance and innovative procurement practices in state governments. This leads to the following hypothesis: A state government with a more innovative managerial culture is more likely to adopt e-procurement.…”

“…The managerial innovation-orientation of each state is measured by the 2001 GPP grade for managing-for-results. In his study of procurement reforms, Coggburn (2003) uses the 1999 GPP grade for managing-forresults as an independent variable. We use the 2001 GPP data because they are more relevant to 2001 e-procurement data.…”