Investigating Municipal Procurement Challenges in South Africa: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

This study explored procurement challenges faced by municipalities in South Africa.  A qualitative approach was adopted in which semi-structured interviews were employed to elicit information regarding procurement related challenges encountered by municipalities in South Africa. The respondents consisted of ten individuals who were employed as supply chain managers in different municipalities located in Gauteng Province. The findings of the study show that despite the existent policies and support strategies, municipalities in South Africa still find it difficult to achieve their procurement objectives due to four major inundations; namely, the lack of training, the lack of capacity, the lack of transparency and the failure to comply with existing public procurement policies. The study recommends strategies for addressing the identified performance shortfalls in the area of municipal procurement.