Public Procurement

Megaproject Planning and Management: Essential Readings contains the seminal articles from the growing body of research on megaproject planning and management along with an original introduction by the editor, Bent Flyvbjerg. The leading and most cited authority in the field, Flyvbjerg has used crowdsourcing and 25 years of experience to cherry-pick from several hundred articles and books the writings that define the field. This volume will be an indispensable source for those wishing to speak with authority about how megaprojects are prepared, delivered, and fought over. The target audience is students, academics, practitioners, and media pundits alike, as well as communities affected by megaprojects.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is studied within the public construction procurement scenario, analysing the current situation and further development possibilities, especially how to adopt Model Checking in Tendering. Results can help both public clients and bidders to find out new strategies to improve efficiency. In the future the BIM-based approach needs to be integrated in e-Procurement process to fully take advantage of its potentialities.

Back cover text: Megaprojects and Risk provides the first detailed examination of the phenomenon of megaprojects. It is a fascinating account of how the promoters of multi-billion dollar megaprojects systematically and self-servingly misinform parliaments, the public and the media in order to get projects approved and built. It shows, in unusual depth, how the formula for approval is an unhealthy cocktail of underestimated costs, overestimated revenues, undervalued environmental impacts and overvalued economic development effects. This results in projects that are extremely risky, but where the risk is concealed from MPs, taxpayers and investors. The authors not only explore the problems but also suggest practical solutions drawing on theory, experience and hard, scientific evidence from the several hundred projects in twenty nations and five continents that illustrate the book. Accessibly written, it will be the standard reference for students, scholars, planners, economists, auditors, politicians and interested citizens for many years to come.

In english
The contracts which are gathered under the generic term of “marchés publics” (public procurement) correspond today to many different contractual methods. Since the French Revolution, and following an evolution by sedimentation or accumulation of texts, the number of contracts which must be signed after a procedure of competition has been extended in two ways: materially, all the goods must, in theory, be bought after a procedure of public procurement. Organically, the State and all the “personnes publiques” (public administrations) must follow theses procedures, but today, it’s also the case of some firms or private institutions under public influence.
The situation is today therefore very confused : the contractual qualifications which impose specific procedures of competition are very various and puzzled. These contracts can consequently usefully be gathered under a legal concept of “commande publique” (public ordering). This new qualification would include the current qualifications used in France  – “marchés publics” (public procurement in a restrictive sense or in a European sense) “délégation de service public” (delegation of public utility) or “contrats de partenariat” (public-private partnership) –, and its objective would be the rationalization of all these kinds of contracts.  This rationalization can be realized by the recognition and the development of "principles of public procurement" applicable to all the "contrats de la commande publique” (public procurement contracts). They constitute the base of common procedures, applicable to all these contracts, completed by specific rules for each subcategory

En Français
Les contrats que l’on regroupe sous le terme générique de « marchés publics » correspondent aujourd’hui à de nombreuses modalités contractuelles différentes. Depuis la Révolution, et à la suite d’une évolution par sédimentation ou accumulation de textes, les contrats soumis à des procédures de passation ont subi une double extension : non seulement, matériellement, l’ensemble des biens doit, en principe faire l’objet de « marchés publics », mais en plus, organiquement, l’ensemble des personnes publiques, ainsi que certaines personnes sous influence publique, doivent respecter des procédures. Celles-ci imposent une publicité des futurs contrats ou une mise en concurrence des offres reçues. Le constat de cette extension permet de conclure que les différentes qualifications contractuelles imposant des procédures sont trop diverses et confuses. Ces contrats peuvent par conséquent être utilement regroupés sous une notion juridique de Commande publique.
Cette nouvelle qualification engloberait les qualifications actuelles – marchés publics, délégations de service public, contrats de partenariat –, avec pour objectif la rationalisation de l’ensemble de la matière. Cette rationalisation passe notamment par la reconnaissance et le développement de « principes de la commande publique ». Ces principes sont la liberté d’accès, l’égalité d’accès et de traitement, le principe de mise en concurrence, mais aussi les principes de transparence,  d’efficience économique et ceux de protection de l’environnement. Ces principes constituent la base d’un régime commun minimum applicable à tous ces contrats

Procurement is a crucial element in the working functions of any government. In spite of the reforms in the procurement system and enactment of Public Procurement and Disposal Act (2005) in Kenya, very little has been done to analyze the factors influencing the procurement process in public sector. Procurement in Kenya suffers from poor performance characterized by red tape measures, non-compliance to the Act, overpricing, poor planning, poor contract management, inadequate transparency and accountability, material redundancy and corruption. This paper aimed at investigating factors affecting public procurement efficiency with one of the devolved county governments in Kenya – Homabay used as a case study. The investigation was achieved by; firstly, establishing how professional qualification of employees influence the efficiency of the public procurement process. Secondly assessing how information communication technology (ICT) affect the efficiency of the procurement function in Public procurement. Thirdly, establishing how contract management affect the efficiency of procurement process in the Public Sector and lastly, establishing how the procurement planning process affect efficiency of procurement process in the public sector. The study found that; there is close relationship between ICT procurement performances with highly integrated public procurement process more efficient than manual procurement process; ICT integration within public institution improves customer service delivery making it more simple and efficient; proper contract management in public procurement helps to achieve efficiency in public sector.

The Supplementary Green Book Guidance on Optimism Bias (HM Treasury 2003) with reference to the Review of Large Public Procurement in the UK (Mott MacDonald 2002) notes that there is a demonstrated, systematic, tendency for project appraisers to be overly optimistic and that to redress this tendency appraisers should make explicit, empirically based adjustments to the estimates of a project’s costs, benefits, and duration. HM Treasury recommends that these adjustments be based on data from past projects or similar projects elsewhere, and adjusted for the unique characteristics of the project in hand. In the absence of a more specific evidence base, HM Treasury has encouraged departments to collect data to inform future estimates of optimism, and in the meantime use the best available data. In response to this, the Department for Transport (henceforth DfT), has contracted Bent Flyvbjerg in association with COWI to undertake the consultancy assignment "Procedures for dealing with Optimism Bias in Transport Planning". The present Guidance Document is the result of this assignment.

The outcome of public procurement reforms being carried out in most developing countries is negligible and has not provided significant support for good governance in the procurement sector despite having sound objectives with the initiatives. Presently, most of the governments around the world are implementing e-government procurement (e-GP) systems as a tool for public procurement reform for better governance in the public procurement sector. The implementation of e-procurement has been accepted as one of the most promising and feasible options for governments in delivering enhanced governance in the acquisition of goods, works, and services for the public sector. This action research analyzed the implementation of the e-GP system in a developing country using quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis following the utilization-focused evaluation framework. The study focused in the utility of the e-GP system, addressing different dimensions of good governance and emphasizing transparency, accountability, corruption control, efficiency, effectiveness and predictability, easy access, rule of law and equity, and civil society awareness. It studied the users’ perception about the role of the e-GP system in public procurement good governance, the users’ attitude towards e-GP system use, and the e-GP system’s impact on good governance. The research revealed that an e-GP system significantly enables and enhances good governance in the public procurement sector. The research indicated that an e-GP system can be fully leveraged for enhancing good governance if, among other things, a comprehensive e-GP system implementation framework is followed with adequate planning, phasing of implementation is based on the procurement cycle basis rather than an incremental functional basis, and the e-GP system addresses all the key aspects of good governance rather than focusing only on 1 or 2 aspects in isolation.

This paper focuses on problems and their causes and cures in policy and planning for large infrastructure projects. First, it identifies as the main problem in major infrastructure development pervasive misinformation about the costs, benefits, and risks involved. A consequence of misinformation is massive cost overruns, benefit shortfalls, and waste. Second, the paper explores the causes of misinformation and finds that political-economic explanations best account for the available evidence: planners and promoters deliberately misrepresent costs, benefits, and risks in order to increase the likelihood that it is their projects, and not the competition's, that gain approval and funding. This results in the "survival of the unfittest," where often it is not the best projects that are built, but the most misrepresented ones. Finally, the paper presents measures for reforming policy and planning for large infrastructure projects, with a focus on better planning methods and changed governance structures, the latter being more important.

In the world of business, it is common for an organization to involve contractors or suppliers in one way or another to support in providing service or product to meet its intended requirements. Therefore, this necessitates a CM team to monitor the progress of the contractors. However, in Uganda, not much research has been done on the effectiveness of contract management on contractor’s performance and this is why it is the main objective of this study which was conducted at Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.  This objective was supported by the specific objectives which included; To examine the causes of poor performance of contractors, to determine the effect of contract management on contractor’s performance and to determine the ways of addressing the challenge of poor performance of contractors.
A descriptive research design was used where a total population of forty (40) people was used from which thirty (30) respondents were sampled from the different departments and areas in the ministry. Primary data was collected using questionnaires and supported by interviews.
The analysis was done on the demographics of the respondents including the Gender, years spent in service with the MTIC and Education level of the respondents.
The findings reveal that the contract management process is very effective on monitoring contractors’ performance and majority of the respondents (70%) agreed and strongly agreed that an effective CM can enhance supplier performance. The findings also revealed that there are cases where the SPECS, TOR and SOW for goods, services and works respectively are not well set which explains why some times contractors fail to perform their obligations and the researcher went ahead to discuss the findings where it is asserted that African countries public procurement entities are facing challenges in ensuring contract execution and delivery of the required services by the contractors because of the way procurement functions and the procurement personnel perform internal and external processes including contract management which is in agreement with the research findings.
It is concluded that, the MTIC CM activities have a significant positive effect on contractor’s performance.  The researcher recommends that the entity procurement staff should endeavor to define correctly the TOR, SPECS and SOW such that the contractors are made aware of what they are supposed to perform. The researcher further recommends that a contract management team should also be put in place and planned prior to the commencement of the contract.

The article first describes characteristics of major infrastructure projects. Second, it documents a much neglected topic in economics: that ex ante estimates of costs and benefits are often very different from actual ex post costs and benefits. For large infrastructure projects the consequences are cost overruns, benefit shortfalls, and the systematic underestimation of risks. Third, implications for cost–benefit analysis are described, including that such analysis is not to be trusted for major infrastructure projects. Fourth, the article uncovers the causes of this state of affairs in terms of perverse incentives that encourage promoters to underestimate costs and overestimate benefits in the business cases for their projects. But the projects that are made to look best on paper are the projects that amass the highest cost overruns and benefit shortfalls in reality. The article depicts this situation as ‘survival of the unfittest’. Fifth, the article sets out to explain how the problem may be solved, with a view to arriving at more efficient and more democratic projects, and avoiding the scandals that often accompany major infrastructure investments. Finally, the article identifies current trends in major infrastructure development. It is argued that a rapid increase in stimulus spending, combined with more investments in emerging economies, combined with more spending on information technology is catapulting infrastructure investment from the frying pan into the fire.

The purpose of this study was to assess the factors affecting public procurement
performance in Addis Ababa City, taking a case of Gulele Sub-City administration. To
achieve this objective, we employed purposive and random sampling with a sample of
177 respondents using questionnaires and 9 respondents using a structured interview.
The interview survey was conducted in 3 public procurement and property administration
support processes, and 6 user departments in the administration that spent a huge
amount of money through the procurement process in the year 2010 E.C. Both
descriptive and inferential methods of analysis were used. The study was driven by the
Institutional Theory, Technology, Organization and Environment Theory, and Legitimacy
Theory. The findings of the study indicate that all independent variables found to be
statistically significant and positively affects (influences) the whole procurement
performance of the administration. Procurement planning and staff competency were the
highest significant factors affecting public procurement performance, ICT utilization and
internal control respectively. The study has established that procurement performance in
the administration is poor in terms of achievements of the procurement objectives. In
addition, the study has revealed that there was no proper linkage between demands to the
budget, unplanned purchasing, fraud and corruption were other factors that the hinder
procurement performance of the administration. Thus, managers should exert its
strategic effort on the most significant factors and are the pressing issue for the sub-city
administration to improve the procurement performance.
Key words: Procurement Planning, Staff Competency, Information Communication
Technology Utilization and Internal Control.

As megaprojects have become ubiquitous, their real benefits and costs have come under increased scrutiny. We interviewed Bent Flyvbjerg, who has extensively studied megaproject development. Flyvbjerg has found systematic problems in the development process: by intentionally misrepresenting information and deliberately disregarding risks, proponents instigate projects that result in fewer benefits and higher costs than promised.

Nepal is one of the least developed countries in the world and is undergoing peace process after a decade of armed struggle (1996 – 2006). For FY 2070/71 (2013/14), government has unveiled the budget of Rs. 517.24 billion, of which 46.7 % is allocated as development expenditure and 53.3 % as regular expenditure. Only 69.6 % of the budget is expected to be met through its own revenue and 14 % by foreign assistance with projected deficit of 17 %. In general, the government has been able to make expenditure of less than 80 % of the allocated budget. On the other hand, Nepalese economy is facing major challenges like low economic growth rate (less than 5 %), high inflation rate,  import based production system, limited labor market to absorb yearly 400,000 new entrants, lack of physical infrastructure, low institutional capacity, and lack of good governance. In this background, this paper discusses the status of public procurement in Nepalese context against the following core pillars of public procurement:
1. Value for money;
2. Open and effective competition;
3. Ethics and fairness; and
4. Accountability, transparency and reporting
5. Equity
This paper helps in understanding the public procurement challenges in one of the least developed conflict ridden country and the issues associated with it so that the experience of Nepal can be used as lesson learning and in formulating policies and programs for reform in public procurement practices.
This paper will be based on the review of the existing procurement law and the practices in the country.

The concept of green supply chain management (GSCM) is attaining high level significance given that it can help to minimize negative impact of mining activities on the environment and to ensure environmental sustainability. This research was carried out primarily to examine the factors influencing green supply chain management in the mining industry of Ghana. Data was collected using focus group discussion with the experts from the mining companies. Analysis of the data showed that the goods purchased by mining companies have negative effects on the environment. It was also concluded that procurement practices could be used to reduce the negative impacts of the companies' operation on the environment since the procurement departments of the companies have specific policies geared towards environmentally preferable purchases. The study further established that green procurement influence supplier selection through environmental regulations by Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana, suppliers' environmental emission among others. The study revealed that the most notable factors influencing green supply chain in the mining companies in Ghana include lack of knowledge and expertise involving green supply chain, lack of awareness of the potential economic benefits of green supply chain, lack of political commitment, lack of the learning capacity to evaluate green supply chain; high cost of environmental programs, ineffective sanction regime for environmental offenders among others. The study recommends that mining companies and its allies should organise joint seminars and workshops to sensitize the staff and suppliers on the benefits of green purchasing and the need to embrace it. The mining industry and EPA should also link up to train their supply/logistics/procurement practitioners on the issues of green procurement /supply chain.

In Tanzania like any other developing countries, local governments are regarded as key providers of public services to the people in various aspects such as education, health, water, infrastructure, financial transactions. The main objective of this study was to assess the factors that contribute to the poor performance of procurement functions in local government authorities. The specific objectives of this study were: to analyze the effect of internal control, staff capacity, and corruption on procurement performance of the local governments in Tanzania. Through a review of existing scholarly works, documents, records and reports, a conceptual frame work was developed. The findings and recommendations of this paper were made based on audit reports for the period of four consecutive years conducted by the National Audit Office (NAOT) and the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA). This study revealed that, Local Government Authorities (LGAs) procurement performance faces serious challenges pertaining to weak internal control, lack of staff capacity, and lack of integrity. The study recommended that the public procurement body (PSPTB) and regulatory body (PPRA) should put more efforts on capacity building and monitoring to the LGAs with inadequate compliance level in order to strengthen and improve their procurement performance. It was further recommended that the LGAs managements should continue strengthening their Procurement Management Units, Tender Boards, User Departments as well as Internal Audit Units in order to obtain value for money on the procurements made.

This paper explores how theories of the planning fallacy and the outside view may be used to conduct quality control and due diligence in project management. First, a much-neglected issue in project management is identified, namely that the front-end estimates of costs and benefits – used in the business cases, cost-benefit analyses, and social and environmental impact assessments that typically support decisions on projects – are typically significantly different from actual ex post costs and benefits, and are therefore poor predictors of the actual value and viability of projects. Second, it is discussed how Kahneman and Tversky’s theories of the planning fallacy and the outside view may help explain and remedy this situation through quality control of decisions. Third, it is described what quality control and due diligence are in the context of project management, and an eight-step procedure is outlined for due diligence based on the outside view. Fourth, the procedure is tested on a real-life, multibillion-dollar project, organized as a public-private partnership. Finally, Akerlof and Shiller’s recent discussion in economics of “firing the forecaster” is discussed together with its relevance to project management. In sum, the paper demonstrates the need, the theoretical basis, a practical methodology, and a real-life example for how to de-bias project management using quality control and due diligence based on the outside view.

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to introduce the special issue and outline its major themes and challenges, their relevance and the research opportunities the field presents. Design/methodology/approach – The article reviews prior literature and outline's the need to view public procurement as a policy tool to introduce the contributions to this special issue. Findings: Public procurement has been consistently used to further public policies in a wide range of fields. The collection of articles in this special issue contributes to a broader understanding of the role and potential of public procurement in delivering desired policy outcomes in society. The articles show that public procurement largely has strategic aspirations, and its potential to deliver on wider societal issues is attractive to policy makers. The issues raised in this collection of articles however also demonstrate that public procurement often lacks strategic maturity and critical issues, notably around how to demonstrate and evaluate its impact and 'success'. Research limitations/implications – This article aims to stimulate interdisciplinary research into the role of public procurement as a policy tool and its ability to achieve public value. Originality/value – This article discusses theoretical and empirical findings that highlight the importance of public procurement for achieving public value. The special issue examines the interdisciplinary literature on public procurement and shows how it is being used to achieve public value.

This paper focuses on problems and their causes and cures in policy and planning for large-infrastructure projects. First, it identifies as the main problem in major infrastructure developments pervasive misinformation about the costs, benefits, and risks involved. A consequence of misinformation is cost overruns, benefit shortfalls, and waste. Second, it explores the causes of misinformation and finds that political-economic explanations best account for the available evidence: planners and promoters deliberately misrepresent costs, benefits, and risks in order to increase the likelihood that it is their projects, and not those of their competition, that gain approval and funding. This results in the ‘survival of the unfittest’, in which often it is not the best projects that are built, but the most misrepresented ones. Finally, it presents measures for reforming policy and planning for large-infrastructure projects with a focus on better planning methods and changed governance structures, the latter being more important.

A major source of risk in project management is inaccurate forecasts of project costs, demand, and other impacts. The paper presents a promising new approach to mitigating such risk, based on theories of decision making under uncertainty which won the 2002 Nobel prize in economics. First, the paper documents inaccuracy and risk in project management. Second, it explains inaccuracy in terms of optimism bias and strategic misrepresentation. Third, the theoretical basis is presented for a promising new method called "reference class forecasting," which achieves accuracy by basing forecasts on actual performance in a reference class of comparable projects and thereby bypassing both optimism bias and strategic misrepresentation. Fourth, the paper presents the first instance of practical reference class forecasting, which concerns cost forecasts for large transportation infrastructure projects. Finally, potentials for and barriers to reference class forecasting are assessed.

There is ferment in the social sciences. After years of sustained effort to build a science of society modelled on the natural sciences, that project, long treated with suspicion by some, is now openly being rethought. A critical intervention in this period of reflection was Making Social Science Matter (MSSM) by Bent Flyvbjerg, published in 2001. In that book Flyvbjerg challenged the very idea of social science as a science modelled on the natural sciences. Flyvbjerg argued that, as the social sciences study human interactions that involve human consciousness, volition, power and reflexivity, attempts to build generalizable, predictive models such as those for the natural world are misplaced and even futile.

La commande publique est un terme générique regroupant un ensemble de contrats soumis généralement à des procédures de passation. Cette notion n’a pour l’heure fait l’objet d’aucune définition législative, réglementaire ou jurisprudentielle générale. Néanmoins, il s’agit déjà d’un terme juridique dans la mesure où, après avoir été employé pour la première fois en tant que notion par le Conseil constitutionnel dans sa décision n° 2003-473 DC du 26 juin 2003 Loi habilitant le gouvernement à simplifier le droit, il est aujourd’hui utilisé dans un nombre important d’actes locaux et dans plusieurs centaines de textes. Notion sans définition — comme la notion de délégation de service public entre 1993 et 2000 — elle est amenée à évoluer à l’occasion du projet de « code de la commande publique » qui devrait apporter plus de cohérence à la matière dans les années à venir.

Mots clefs : Commande publique, marchés publics, concessions de travaux, concessions de service (public), procédures de passation, mises en concurrence, pouvoir adjudicateur, entité adjudicatrice, appel d’offres ouvert ou restreint, marchés de partenariat

Out-of-control information technology (IT) projects have ended the careers of top managers, such as EADS CEO Noël Forgeard and Levi Strauss’ CIO David Bergen. Moreover, IT projects have brought down whole companies, like Kmart in the US and Auto Windscreen in the UK. Software and other IT is now such an integral part of most business processes and products that CEOs must know their IT risks, which are typically substantial – and overlooked. The analysis of a sample of 1,471 IT projects showed that the average cost overrun was 27% — but that figure masks a far more alarming “fat tail” risk.  Fully one in six of the projects in the sample was a Black Swan, with a cost overrun of 200%, on average, and a schedule overrun of almost 70%. This highlights the true pitfall of IT change initiatives: It’s not that they’re particularly prone to high cost overruns on average – it is that there are a disproportionate number of Black Swans. By focusing on averages instead of the more damaging outliers, most managers and consultants have been missing the real risk in doing IT. In conclusion, the article outlines ideas as to what can be done to avoid Black Swans.

This paper provides an overview of public procurement reforms in Tanzania. The main objective was to conduct a critical analysis on the public procurement reforms, compliance, challenges and prospects of Tanzania public sector procurement. The author used published data and documentary review in order to present findings, conclusion and recommendations. Based on the research findings, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania has clearly made great steps in reforming the public procurement sector. The enactments of Public Procurement Acts and Regulations have been to some extent helpful in attaining transparency, economy, efficiency, accountability, fair and value for money procurement. The findings revealed that compliance has been reduced from-41% in financial year 2006/2007 (first procurement audit) to-7% in 2015/2016. The study recommended that: successful implementation of the public procurement reform will depend on the people involved, both elected and employees at all levels and the capacity of the oversight and regulatory bodies to lead, regulate, control and monitor the various procurement procedures. The need of public procurement reforms should be originated from the citizens, practitioners, suppliers, service providers, contractors, regulatory & professional bodies, and the like. Politician's views and comments should not be taken as a prime catalyst for review.

This article presents results from the first statistically significant study of cost escalation in transportation infrastructure projects. Based on a sample of 258 transportation infrastructure projects worth US$90 billion and representing different project types, geographical regions, and historical periods, it is found with overwhelming statistical significance that the cost estimates used to decide whether such projects should be built are highly and systematically misleading. Underestimation cannot be explained by error and is best explained by strategic misrepresentation, that is, lying. The policy implications are clear: legislators, administrators, investors, media representatives, and members of the public who value honest numbers should not trust cost estimates and cost-benefit analyses produced by project promoters and their analysts.

"Over budget, over time, over and over again" appears to be an appropriate slogan for large, complex infrastructure projects. This article explains why cost, benefits, and time forecasts for such projects are systematically over-optimistic in the planning phase. The underlying reasons for forecasting errors are grouped into three categories: delusions or honest mistakes; deceptions or strategic manipulation of information or processes; or bad luck. Delusion and deception have each been addressed in the management literature before, but here they are jointly considered for the first time. They are specifically applied to infrastructure problems in a manner that allows both academics and practitioners to understand and implement the suggested corrective procedures. The article provides a framework for analyzing the relative explanatory power of delusion and deception. It also suggests a simplified framework for analyzing the complex principal-agent relationships that are involved in the approval and construction of large infrastructure projects, which can be used to improve forecasts. Finally, the article illustrates reference class forecasting, an outside view de-biasing technique that has proven successful in overcoming both delusion and deception in private and public investment decisions.

For over fifty years, successive waves of critique have underscored that the apolitical character of much of Political Science research betrays the founding mission of the discipline to have science serve democracy. The Caucus for a New Political Science was originally based on such a critique, and the Perestroika movement in the discipline included a call for more problem-driven as opposed to theory- or method-driven work that would better connect Political Science research to ongoing political struggles. In recent years, movements for a public Sociology and public Anthropology as well as dissonant movements in Economics and related fields have added to the insistence that social science research was too often disconnected from the real world. Phronetic Social Science has emerged out of the ferment for change in the social sciences, starting with the much-debated book by Bent Flyvbjerg, Making Social Science Matter (Cambridge 2001). Flyvbjerg critiqued the social sciences for mimicking the natural sciences while proposing an alternative approach that focuses research on helping people address the problems they are facing in the context they are facing them. Today, Phronetic Social Science goes beyond the call for an alternative approach to social inquiry and its growing adherents are providing evidence that this alternative approach to doing research can enrich the social sciences by more effectively connecting research to efforts to address real world problems as people experience them. This essay provides a genealogy of efforts to connect Political Science to politics, a review of the major critiques of mainstream research, an explication of the rationale for more problem-driven, mixed methods research, a specification of the key principles of the phronetic approach, and examples of its application in the public realm. The essay concludes with implications for realizing a more political Political Science by way of taking a phronetic approach.

Results from the first statistically significant study of the causes of cost escalation in transport infrastructure projects are presented. The study is based on a sample of 258 rail, bridge, tunnel and road projects worth US$90 billion. The focus is on the dependence of cost escalation on: (1) the length of the project‐implementation phase, (2) the size of the project and (3) the type of project ownership. First, it was found, with very high statistical significance, that cost escalation was strongly dependent on the length of the implementation phase. The policy implications are clear: decision‐makers and planners should be highly concerned about delays and long implementation phases because they translate into risks of substantial cost escalations. Second, projects have grown larger over time, and for bridges and tunnels larger projects have larger percentage cost escalations. Finally, by comparing the cost escalation for three types of project ownership - private, state‐owned enterprise and other public ownership - it was shown that the oft‐seen claim that public ownership is problematic and private ownership effective in curbing cost escalation is an oversimplification. The type of accountability appears to matter more to cost escalation than type of ownership.

This article presents results from the first statistically significant study of traffic forecasts in transportation infrastructure projects. The sample used is the largest of its kind, covering 210 projects in 14 nations worth U.S.$59 billion. The study shows with very high statistical significance that forecasters generally do a poor job of estimating the demand for transportation infrastructure projects. For 9 out of 10 rail projects, passenger forecasts are overestimated; the average overestimation is 106%. For half of all road projects, the difference between actual and forecasted traffic is more than ±20%. The result is substantial financial risks, which are typically ignored or downplayed by planners and decision makers to the detriment of social and economic welfare. Our data also show that forecasts have not become more accurate over the 30-year period studied, despite claims to the contrary by forecasters. The causes of inaccuracy in forecasts are different for rail and road projects, with political causes playing a larger role for rail than for road. The cure is transparency, accountability, and new forecasting methods. The challenge is to change the governance structures for forecasting and project development. Our article shows how planners may help achieve this.

This paper presents a model for Public Contracting Authorities to
quantify procurement performance benefits that can be achieved by adopting e-procurement. It has been found that e-procurement could generate positive impacts, especially on the efficiency, effectiveness, dematerialization, competitiveness and transparency impact dimensions. Adopting e-procurement in the public sector is far more than just a technological challenge; it embodies a large scale change management effort to create a more efficient procurement culture. Using the performance measurement approach herewith presented helps to tackle this challenge, stimulating the effective use of e-procurement solutions. Measuring how eprocurement is contributing to optimize public expenditure by increasing organizational performances; can help to overcome the resistance to change. Plus, this model can be used to strengthen stakeholder accountability of both Contracting Authorities and public e-procurement service providers. The model has been consistently tested over the last four years with satisfactory results confirming the hypothesis; the case study is herewith exposed. The model can be applied in different context, therefore method and practical recommendations are also provided.

The construction industry, particularly the public sector, started drawing attention towards containing costs and increasing performance. This is why several public entities worldwide are promoting new strategies and adopted innovating approaches such as the Building Information
Modelling (BIM). Countries like the UK, Germany, France and Spain are working on it through
investments in the industry digitalization. In Italy, despite the fact that the growing implementation of
information-based technologies is not supported by a governmental strategy, public calls for tender
requiring BIM have been set up. In addition, in order to benefit from a BIM-based approach, cooperating processes are being arranged to involve several parties from the very first stages of the
project itself. This way flaws will be sorted out in advance and out of the construction site, and at the
same time ideal solutions will be identified for the entire building lifecycle. Within the BIM methodology, a key role is played by Model Checking, which enables verification and validation of all projects, not only in the design phase, but also throughout the process phases. In order to guarantee reliable results, an initial pre-check should be carried out, the so called BIM Validation. This validates the data content of the Information Model and subsequently carries out analyses such as Clash Detection and Code Checking. The Information Model must come out of a meticulous modelling phase, in order to validate its geometric and alphanumeric content and ensure reliable results first, and then proceed with subsequent BIM-based analyses.

"ABSTRACT: This study provides an empirically based analysis of corrupt governmental networks. We conducted 45 interviews in Hungary with different organizational actors who were actually participating in corrupt transactions or at least had first-hand
experiences of corruption. Given the secret nature of the topic, this article provides a unique insight into the phenomenon. Our findings show that corrupt elite cliques consciously design and coordinate multilevel structures of corrupt networks within and among organizations that involve a large amount of people. We identified the major network elements and their functions in corrupt transactions. The article also provides a typology of corrupt networks. The networks have different structural characteristics based on location of the ‘‘cash cows,’’ points from where the system is fed, and the actors’ positions of power. Our findings are compared with the already existing literature on dark networks, terrorist, and organized crime formations."

The main purpose of this study was to examine the challenges of contract management in the public procurement processes in TANESCO. Specifically, the study assessed the awareness on procedures involved in Procurement contract management, examined factors affecting contract management performance in TANESCO and identified area of improvement concerning contract management in TANESCO. Quantitative approach was applied in this study to gather quantitative data through closed questions which appeared in questionnaires. This approach used in this study to collect experience and opinion toward challenges of contract management in the public procurement processes. The study used descriptive research to establish factors associated with certain occurrences, outcomes, conditions or types of behaviour.  The study used non probability sampling to obtain the sample.  The respondents were mainly consisted of staff of TANESCO. The sample comprised of 50 respondents. Data was collected through questionnaires. The quantitative data were processed with the help of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software program version 25 and were summarized in tables of frequencies, percentages, correlations, t-tests and charts. The results from the analysis revealed that proper strategic decisions and drafting of the right contract influence contract management. Also, availability of competent staff ensure good contract management. Moreover, study findings revealed that improve contract management the company need to recruit staff with relevant skills. The study recommends that there should be a sequence after a while to find out if there are any changes that have occurred and a comparison with this data may be done to measure the extent of change or otherwise. A replicate study may be carried out in other areas of contract management.

Contract procurement processes have a lot of challenges in the construction industry. These challenges are evident in procedures used for selection of contractors and consequent, performance of projects. This study explores the challenges of Due Process Policy Model (DPPM) procedures for the selection of contractors for public projects between 2002 and 2008 in Nigeria. The procedures mandate certain categories of the
procurement of public construction contracts to undergo a sequence of activities. Such procedures include advertisement, prequalification, short-listing, invitation, tender action and project execution. Observations are made on procedures of selection of contractors for 47 projects using DPPM. Moreover, interviews were conducted to seek clarifications on some of the challenges identified in DPPM processes. Arguably, DPPM is gaining more popularity in Africa. Thus, observations made on the challenges of DPPM will improve its capacity for adoption within and outside Africa; motivate innovative procurement
processes, with significant impact on international contract procurement policy makers and contract procurement officers. International contractors willing to explore the growing capacity of the construction market in Africa will discover significant and appropriate understanding of the basic requirements of DPPM.

Risk, including economic risk, is increasingly a concern for public policy and management. The possibility of dealing effectively with risk is hampered, however, by lack of a sound empirical basis for risk assessment and management. This article demonstrates the general point for cost and demand risks in urban rail projects. The article presents empirical evidence that allow valid economic risk assessment and management of urban rail projects, including benchmarking of individual or groups of projects. Benchmarking of the Copenhagen Metro is presented as a case in point. The approach developed is proposed as a model for other types of policies and projects in order to improve economic and financial risk assessment and management in policy and planning.

L’application du droit de la concurrence aux contrats de la commande publique est aujourd’hui acquise. L’application de ces deux droits de manière simultanée pose cependant la question de leur compatibilité. Le droit des marchés apparaît comme favorisant parfois les pratiques anticoncurrentielles et l’acheteur public comme le régulateur désemparé de son propre marché.

Phronetic organizational research is an approach to the study of management and organizations focusing on ethics and power. It is based on a contemporary interpretation of the Aristotelian concept phronesis, usually as ‘prudence’. Phronesis is the ability to think and act in relation to values, to deliberate about ‘things that are good or bad for humans’ in the words of Aristotle (1976:1140a24–b12). Phronetic organizational research effectively provides answers to the following four value-rational questions, for specific problematics in management and organization studies: 1. Where are we going with this specific management problematic? 2. Who gains and who loses, and by which mechanisms of power? 3. Is this development desirable? 4. What, if anything, should we do about it?

The paper deals with the consequences of the implementation of the new French budgetary framework, especially an accrual accounting scheme for Government, on public management performance evaluation and monitoring. We focus our study on procurement by contrasting with the former Government practices. We underline the relationships between public accounting and procurement control procedures by analysing conventional procurement contracts and public-private