Abstract
Public procurement in South Africa is vulnerable to corruption. The potential of e-procurement has inspired many governments across the world to implement e-procurement systems to reduce corruption and to increase procurement transparency and accountability. The South African procurement system is characterised by a high number of procurement corruption cases, irregular and unnecessary government spending, significant non-compliance with procurement principles, and a lack of transparency and accountability. Despite various measures put in place to address these issues, corruption is still rampant. It is due to these concerns that this study aimed to explore the extent to which the implementation of e-procurement can ensure compliance with procurement principles and eradicate corruption in procurement; thereby achieving the objectives of the National Development Plan: Vision 2030. The study conceptualises e-procurement to explain the issues, trends, and challenges and benefits relating to the system. The study further contextualises e-procurement in South African public sector institutions by discussing the main e-procurement systems, namely the Central Supplier Database and the e-Tender Publication Portal. The study took the form of qualitative research to explore the research problem and to make conclusions and recommendations. Keywords: e-procurement; corruption; NDP: Vision 2030; principles of procurement; compliance.
M.A. (Public Management and Governance)