Abstract
In this work, we sought to better understand the possible role of e-procurement in the evolving strategies of centralization (and decentraliza- tion) of public purchase centres. We conducted an explorative research study in the Italian context, where both centralization and decentralization of e-procurement have been experimented. The analysis of the Italian case highlighted an aspect that has been overlooked in literature so far: the strong and sudden centralization of purchasing caused by e-procurement adoption may present problems, especially in complex contexts with a past tradition of wide-spread de-centralized purchasing powers. The Italian case suggests that a possible solution may be the adoption of a hybrid model, where a centralized structure coordinates a network made of regional semi-centralized e-procurement centres, which, in turn, mediate with local contexts and involve or control the smallest agencies. The main features, strengths and weaknesses of this emerging organizational model for e-procurement agencies are discussed.
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Dameri, R.P., Benevolo, C., Rossignoli, C., Ricciardi, F., De Marco, M. (2012). Centralization vs. Decentralization of Purchasing in the Public Sector: The Role of e-Procurement in the Italian Case. In: Khachidze, V., Wang, T., Siddiqui, S., Liu, V., Cappuccio, S., Lim, A. (eds) Contemporary Research on E-business Technology and Strategy. iCETS 2012. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 332. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-34447-3_41
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-34447-3_41
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