Challenges of Traditional Procurement Practices in Public Sector Universities: Evidence from Sindh, Pakistan

Abstract

Traditional procurement methods in public sector universities are often characterized by manual and paper-based mechanisms, which lead to procedural delays, improper documentation, low transparency and poor regulatory compliance.  This study explores the problems with the conventional procurement mechanisms in public universities located in Sindh, Pakistan and thus fills an empirical gap with respect to the higher education institutions in the province. The research work has used a structured questionnaire so that the response of 66 answers out of 92 distributed questionnaires is valid with a good response rate of 71.74% among 27 public universities. The results show that a significant percentage of 91.91% of the procurement professionals continue to rely upon manual documentation. Technology- related barriers rise to the top post: Limited access to historical records (90.91%) and challenges managing procurement data (75.76%) are the main obstacles cited by 90.91% and 75.76% of our respondents respectively. Process related impediments are pronounced too; 89.39% mention long drawn procurement cycles, 69.70% note apprehensions on fairness and transparency and 62.12% mention high procurement costs. The challenges related to human resources are real; 90.91% of them note the problem of too many humans meddling, 75.76% see too low value placed on procurement activities, and 63.64% see too few procurement specialists. Compliance concerns remain for all constructs, which were supported by significant results of Cochran's Q test (p<0.05). A staggering 89.39% of the respondents agreed that the traditional system of procurement should be replaced. The study concludes by taking a conclusive stance on how manual procurement practices contribute significantly to underlining underperformance, lack of transparency and compliance to the Sindh's Public Universities, thereby providing attractive empirical support for the adoption of e procurement solutions for modernizing procurement mechanisms within public sector.