Exploring anti-corruption capabilities of e-procurement in construction project delivery in Nigeria

The use of electronic (e-­) procurement to support the execution of supply chain management activities in the different industrial sectors is permeating all regions of the world. However, in countries in sub-Saharan Africa where there is a significant level of corruption and unethical practices in the procurement process, there is a need for a better understanding of how e-Procurement can help to check the incidence of corrupt and unethical practices in construction project delivery. This study relied on a cross-sectional survey of 759 respondents, including architects, builders, engineers, estate/facilities managers, contractors, construction/project managers, quantity surveyors, supply chain managers and others to identify and analyse the anti-corruption capabilities of e-Procurement in construction project delivery in Nigeria. The results of the descriptive statistics, relative importance index and principal components analysis identified 18 anti-corruption capabilities in e-Procurement in construction project delivery with the three most important ones being the capability of e-Procurement to ensure good inventory management/record keeping; accountability by providing audit services trail and minimise direct human contacts during bidding. The key underlying dimensions of these capabilities include the advantage of e-Procurement over the traditional paper-based method; transparent bidding process and increase in competition in construction project delivery process. The findings of this study have implications, especially, on the use of e-Procurement to curb corruption in construction procurement activities

Multi crteria decision making and its applications : a literature review

This paper presents current techniques used in Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) and their applications. Two basic approaches for MCDM, namely Artificial Intelligence MCDM (AIMCDM) and Classical MCDM (CMCDM) are discussed and investigated. Recent articles from international journals related to MCDM are collected and analyzed to find which approach is more common than the other in MCDM. Also, which area these techniques are applied to. Those articles are appearing in journals for the year 2008 only. This paper provides evidence that currently, both AIMCDM and CMCDM are equally common in MCDM

Integrated decision-making about housing, energy and wellbeing: a qualitative system dynamics model.

BACKGROUND: The UK government has an ambitious goal to reduce carbon emissions from the housing stock through energy efficiency improvements. This single policy goal is a strong driver for change in the housing system, but comes with positive and negative "unintended consequences" across a broad range of outcomes for health, equity and environmental sustainability. The resulting policies are also already experiencing under-performance through a failure to consider housing as a complex system. This research aimed to move from considering disparate objectives of housing policies in isolation to mapping the links between environmental, economic, social and health outcomes as a complex system. We aimed to support a broad range of housing policy stakeholders to improve their understanding of housing as a complex system through a collaborative learning process. METHODS: We used participatory system dynamics modelling to develop a qualitative causal theory linking housing, energy and wellbeing. Qualitative interviews were followed by two interactive workshops to develop the model, involving representatives from national and local government, housing industries, non-government organisations, communities and academia. RESULTS: More than 50 stakeholders from 37 organisations participated. The process resulted in a shared understanding of wellbeing as it relates to housing; an agreed set of criteria against which to assess to future policy options; and a comprehensive set of causal loop diagrams describing the housing, energy and wellbeing system. The causal loop diagrams cover seven interconnected themes: community connection and quality of neighbourhoods; energy efficiency and climate change; fuel poverty and indoor temperature; household crowding; housing affordability; land ownership, value and development patterns; and ventilation and indoor air pollution. CONCLUSIONS: The collaborative learning process and the model have been useful for shifting the thinking of a wide range of housing stakeholders towards a more integrated approach to housing. The qualitative model has begun to improve the assessment of future policy options across a broad range of outcomes. Future work is needed to validate the model and increase its utility through computer simulation incorporating best quality data and evidence. Combining system dynamics modelling with other methods for weighing up policy options, as well as methods to support shifts in the conceptual frameworks underpinning policy, will be necessary to achieve shared housing goals across physical, mental, environmental, economic and social wellbeing

The effectiveness of e-procurement system in reducing lobbyist involvement in public procurement / Jamaliah Said, Marlina Wati Ishak and Normah Omar.

Corruption represents a major leakage of public fund in many countries in the world. It has been highlighted that the involvement of unnecessary lobbying in the procurement contributes to the corruption. As a result, the Malaysian government has introduced the E-Procurement System to improve its services and to promote transparency in the procurement processes. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the E-procurement system in reducing the lobbyist involvement in one of the largest statutory bodies in Malaysia. For this qualitative study, five procurement officers and three suppliers who had been using the system since it was implemented in the year 2011 were interviewed. Document review was also performed to access information on the processes in the system in support of the feedback from the respondents. The interview results showed that the E-procurement system was effectively implemented in largest statutory body (ACED) and reduced the involvement of lobbyist in the procurement processes. Both groups of informants agreed that the E-procurement system was an effective mechanism to curb procurement fraud because the processes were automated and transparent at every stage. Each process was conducted by a different person and it promoted integrity and transparency in the system. The E-Procurement System was found to be effective in preventing direct communication between the procurement officers and suppliers, therefore reducing the risk of lobbying. The E-procurement System was also bound by specific laws and regulations governing both parties, to which they must comply. The present study concludes that the system can reduce the unethical behaviour by lobbyist and that it should be implemented

Exploring anti-corruption capabilities of e-procurement in construction project delivery in Nigeria

The use of electronic (e-) procurement to support the execution of supply chain management activities in the different industrial sectors is permeating all regions of the world. However, in countries in sub-Saharan Africa where there is a significant level of corruption and unethical practices in the procurement process, there is a need for a better understanding of how e-Procurement can help to check the incidence of corrupt and unethical practices in construction project delivery. This study relied on a cross-sectional survey of 759 respondents, including architects, builders, engineers, estate/facilities managers, contractors, construction/ project managers, quantity surveyors, supply chain managers and others to identify and analyse the anti-corruption capabilities of e-Procurement in construction project delivery in Nigeria. The results of the descriptive statistics, relative importance index and principal components analysis identified 18 anti-corruption capabilities in e-Procurement in construction project delivery with the three most important ones being the capability of e-Procurement to ensure good inventory management/record keeping; accountability by providing audit services trail

Partner selection in virtual enterprises

Tese de doutoramento. Engenharia Industrial e Gestão. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 200

Combined application of cost-benefit and multi-criteria analysis for decision support in air quality management policy: a case study in Lima and El Callao, Perú

160 p.Los dos tipos de herramientas más utilizados para la evaluación de políticas públicas con impactos ambientales son el análisis coste-beneficio (ACB) y el análisis multicriterio (AMC). Aunque el carácter complementario de las ventajas y desventajas de ambas herramientas sugiere un valor añadido de su uso combinado, éste está poco explorado en la literatura. Los objetivos principales de esta tesis doctoral son: 1) Estudiar los ejemplos del uso combinado de ACB y AMC y sus implicaciones, y desarrollar un marco conceptual para la integración de ambos métodos; 2) Distinguir y analizar las principales opciones metodológicas para este uso combinado y aplicarlas a un caso de estudio real de priorización de políticas locales de gestión de la calidad del aire en la zona metropolitana de Lima y El Callao, en Perú; y 3) Investigar las ventajas y desventajas, fortalezas y debilidades de cada opción de combinación. Tras el desarrollo teórico y el análisis del caso de estudio práctico, se puede concluir que: a) La combinación de AMC y ACB tiene valor añadido, permitiendo visualizar simultáneamente una perspectiva integral de aspectos monetizables y no monetizables, así como las contrapartidas entre unos y otros; b) Específicamente, es potencialmente de gran utilidad para los actores clave y tomadores de decisiones la visualización de discrepancias entre criterios subjetivos, variables no monetizables y la representación de las preferencias de la sociedad, ilustradas por el ACB; y c) No existe por el momento una modalidad de combinación que pueda conservar las características deseables de ambas técnicas, lo cual indica una elección del tipo de combinación basada en el problema de decisión planteado