PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES IN ETHIOPIA: EVIDENCE FROM THE ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION AGENCY

Abstract

Public procurement is ultimately built upon four basic pillars: procurement laws and regulations, procurement workforce, procurement process and methods, and procurement organizational structure. Ideally, procurement laws and regulations should be clear, consistent, comprehensive, and flexible. The objective of this study is to assess the regulatory framework, practices and challenges of public procurement by considering the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency as a case. The study used mixed research approaches. Data were collected through questionnaire and in-depth interview and were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative tools. According to the findings of the study, some procurement practices of the Agency were found and observed to be non-compliance with the public procurement rules and regulations. As the study revealed, the reasons for non-compliance were inefficiency, non-transparent procurement processes, and lack of knowledge of rules and regulations. Therefore, it needs commitment from ATA senior management authorities to improve those specific areas of deficiencies in the procurement practice of the Agency by focusing on the challenges hindering for sound public procurement practice.