The role of public procurement to socio-economic development

This paper investigates the role of public procurement plays to socio-economic development in a provincial government, South Africa. Since 2004, public procurement has gained significance in the country. It is used as an enabling mechanism by the South African Government to implement policies aimed at inclusive growth, socio-economic development and transformation. The paper is exploratory and descriptive in nature, based on a survey conducted among procurement practitioners. The findings revealed that public practitioners in the province do acknowledge the strategic role of public procurement in socio-economic development. However, public procurement practices are not adequately implemented in line with government imperatives to accelerate inclusive and socio-economic development. There is a need to re-organise and re-align organisational structures in the province to improve public procurement practices. It is therefore critical that an effective public procurement capacity development programme and professionalisation path be established; ethics and good governance be enforced; and the importance of strategic procurement be capitalised to accelerate socio-economic development.