Public Procurement of Information Systems – A Dialectical Analysis

Abstract

In this thesis I identify dialectics in public procurement of Information Systems (IS), and for some of the dialectics I identify synthesis. My study is based on a research gap, revealed through a literature review that I conducted. Public procurement in general and public procurement of IS in particular has been a neglected field of study. This is surprising, given the fact that public procurement account for a high proportion of the gross domestic product in the western world, and that procurement of IS especially is a highly complex task. My literature review identified a lack of research on the challenges in public procurement of IS and a lack of research on the actual procurement process. Based on these findings, I conducted a Delphi study to identify the key challenges. This study found that some of the key challenges were related to requirements specification, but further, it found that key stakeholders (vendors, and CIO’s and procurement managers in procuring entities) had different views on these key challenges. This led to my two main research questions: What conflicting goals are held by public entities when procuring IS, and: What strategies do public entities use to cope with these challenges and with contradictory goals?