abstract: Food banks are the foundation of the emergency food network, and while their chief mission is to mitigate hunger, the rise in obesity and other diet-related diseases among clientele has incited the need for better nutritional control with regards to procurement of inventory at food banks. The purpose of this research was to determine if procured inventory at United Food Bank in Mesa, Arizona could meet minimum MyPlate recommendations for a typical food bank client and what implications the results could have for future policy. Inventory data was obtained from United Food Bank for fiscal year 2013-2014 and analyzed utilizing the MyPlate Analysis Program to determine contributions of each food category to MyPlate recommendations. Inventory was separated by MyPlate food category and analyzed to determine contribution towards a meal built around MyPlate recommendations. Results showed that the inventory could meet the minimum requirements for protein and grains for a family of four for at least three days, the amount of time an emergency food box is designed to last. On the contrary, the inventory did not meet minimum vegetable, fruit or dairy requirements. These results indicate that typical food bank inventory does not meet USDA MyPlate recommendations and that having nutritional policy in place could potentially drive donations and purchases to enhance the nutritional quality of future food bank inventory. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Nutrition 2015

abstract: The objective of the study was to examine the impact construction document deficiencies have on heavy/civil low-bid infrastructure projects. It encompasses the expertise of 202 heavy/civil construction professionals comprised of contactors and public project owners. The study was designed to determine the frequency and timing of when a contractor discovers construction document deficiencies on heavy/civil low bid projects. The information was correlated with further study data of when a contractor ultimately reports the discovered construction document deficiencies to the public project owner. This research data was compiled and analyzed to determine if contractors are withholding construction document deficiencies from public owners until after the project contract has been executed. The withholding of document deficiencies can benefit contractors by resulting in additional owner incurred costs and potential justification for project time extensions. As a result, further research was required to examine the impact construction document deficiencies have on project cost and schedule. Based on the study findings, it has led to the development of a Contractor Document Review Assessment. The Contractor Document Review Assessment is a risk mitigation device in which contractors and public project owners can identify construction document deficiencies on heavy/civil low-bid construction projects before the project contract has been executed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Construction 2017

abstract: ABSTRACT The current Saudi Arabian (SA) procurement system leads to many losses in money and benefits in projects. Also, the use of the traditional procurement system in SA has been identified as one of the causes for poor performance in the delivery of construction and the major risk to the SA government. A questionnaire has been developed and carefully designed based on literature review. The purpose of the survey was to identify the validity of the recent claims that the procurement system in SA is broken and to improve the current SA procurement system. The questionnaire was sent out to 1,396 participants including included 867 engineers, 256 consultants, 93 contractors, 35 owners and 132 architects and 13 academics. All participants have been registered and licensed professionals at the SA Council for professional engineers, who work in both private and public sectors. The participants are interested in the SA procurement and contracts system with experience ranging from one to more than twenty-five years with the majority of twenty-five years of experience in common construction sectors such as; residential and commercial buildings, healthcare buildings, industrial building and heavy civil construction. Most of the participants from both private and public sectors agreed with the survey questions subject matter regarding: zone price proposals, contractors' evaluation, risks, planning, projects' scope, owners concern and weekly risks reports (WRR). The survey results showed that the procurement system is the major risk to projects, affects construction projects negatively and is in need of improvement. Based on the survey and literature review, a model, called Saudi government performance procurement model (SGPPM), has been developed in which the most expert contractor is chosen through four phases: submittals& education, vendors selection, illustration and execution. The resulting model is easy to implement by SA government and does not require special skills or backgrounds. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Construction Management 2017

abstract: This dissertation is an exploratory study that examined the differences in perceptions about supply chain management strategy, topics, tools, and techniques between procurement professionals in public and private sector organizations. This was accomplished through a survey of procurement professionals in a Fortune 500 company and a municipality in Arizona. The data were analyzed to understand how perceptions of supply chain management differed within this sample and whether the differences in perceptions were associated with formal education levels. Key findings indicate that for this or similar samples, public procurement respondents viewed their organizations' approach to supply chain management as a narrow function within purchasing while private sector respondents viewed their organization's approach to supply chain management as a strategic purchasing perspective that requires the coordination of cross functional areas. Second, public procurement respondents reported consistent and statistically significant lower levels of formal education than private sector respondents. Third, the supply chain management topics, tools, and techniques seem to be more important to private sector respondents than the public sector respondents. Finally, Respondents in both sectors recognize the importance of ethics and ethical behavior as an essential part of supply chain management. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Public Administration 2013

Submitted by Suethene Souza (suethene.souza@ufpe.br) on 2015-03-05T18:48:46Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) DISSERTAÇÃO HENRIQUE CEZAR DA SILVA SANTOS.pdf: 1014717 bytes, checksum: b364d46accccfb5b31262f191f5c1cf4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T18:48:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) DISSERTAÇÃO HENRIQUE CEZAR DA SILVA SANTOS.pdf: 1014717 bytes, checksum: b364d46accccfb5b31262f191f5c1cf4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-07-15 / Esta pesquisa, de natureza explicativa, teve como objetivo identificar e representar o conhecimento, por meio de features, sobre as características de um agente inteligente que poderá ser utilizado na etapa lances e negociação do processo eletrônico de compras públicas (e-Procurement), a partir dos agentes humanos e das propriedades institucionais associadas às instituições públicas brasileiras. Para validar o estudo, foram adotadas a triangulação entre diferentes sujeitos e diversas fontes de dados, além da análise de domínio e da análise do modelo proposto com um especialista de negócios que atua no pregão eletrônico. O modelo proposto representa as características de um agente inteligente necessárias para apoiar o pregoeiro na negociação em um pregão eletrônico, objetivando chegar ao preço ideal, ou seja, o preço compreendido entre valores estimados e inexequíveis. Assim, conclui-se que o modelo proposto, se for implementado corretamente, contribuirá para diminuir a despesa do Estado a partir de uma mudança no ComprasNet, que passaria de um sistema de processamento de transação - SPT para um sistema especialista - SE. Por último, os resultados desta pesquisa podem ser utilizados para alertar os gestores sobre as dificuldades encontradas no e-Procurement público, e, objetivam a solução dos problemas e a manutenção dos benefícios alcançados pelas instituições públicas com a implementação do sistema ComprasNet, utilizando, para isso, agentes inteligentes, por meio da abordagem baseada em regras de negócios, no pregão eletrônico brasileiro.

The main purpose of this research project is to bridge the existing knowledgegap in the empirical identification and understanding of the most frequentcorrupt actions and the causes behind during procurement of infrastructureprojects in Pakistan, in addition to exploring the ways to enhance institutionalbasedtrust between the participants of the procurement process. Consequentlythe study aims to provide a conceptual framework to control corruption ininfrastructure procurement while proposing the institutional trust-buildingmechanisms. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches are utilised in thisstudy to achieve this research aim. Quantitative research data is collected usinga questionnaire survey. A total of 450 questionnaires were sent to variouspeople engaged in procurement of infrastructure projects in Pakistan. Theresponse rate was 36.7% (n=165). The questionnaire comprises of two mainquestions; one is about the most frequent corrupt actions in traditional andPublic Private Partnership (PPP) infrastructure procurement processes whileother question asks about the perceived institutional trust-building mechanismsin context of infrastructure procurement market in Pakistan. Various appropriatestatistical methods, including Mean Ranking and ANOVA were utilised toanalyse the collected data. The questionnaire survey was followed by 15 indepth semi-structured interviews with a variety of stakeholders. Theseinterviews provided information on various causes of corruption and reasons asto why people do not for example report a known incident of corruption. A traditional content analysis approach was used to analyse the data collectedusing interviews. From the analysis a cyclical framework of corruption controlemerged, and this is outlined within the thesis. The goal of this framework is tofacilitate procurement stakeholders (individuals, groups, or organisations), toimprove their anti-corruption plans from project to project. This research studyhas filled the knowledge gap through identifying the top twenty potentialcorrupt practices in traditional and PPP infrastructure procurement processes inPakistan and explored the causes behind their occurrence. The study alsorecommends the solutions to mitigate this problem throughout the life cycle ofprocurement process. In addition, the study proposes the institutional trustbuildingmechanisms in the context of infrastructure procurement market inPakistan to cater for the likely loss in trust due to perceived level of corruptionin this sector. The study has also introduced a conceptual framework to controlcorruption in infrastructure procurement process in general and particularly inPakistan. The framework does not intend to introduce new alternatives butinstead builds on existing practices so that users can more easily adapt to theimprovement. The findings of this research are believed to be useful for allpractitioners who are either considering or currently involved in infrastructureprocurement process in Pakistan and trying to avoid or minimise the influenceof corruption.

The construction industry in the United Kingdom is a multi-billion pound business that contributes, on average 10% of the UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, it is seen by many to be underachieving in terms of service delivery and investment opportunities. Projects are frequently late and over budget much to the disappointment of those involved in the industry and especially clients. Many investigations have been commissioned and resulting reports have suggested improvements in the way the industry is organised. Procurement of construction projects in the main are undertaken using methods that support fragmentation and adversarial relationships. However, with the introduction of partnering and prime contracting some improvements have been made. Procurement of a construction project begins with the strategies developed during briefing and is only complete when the facility is handed over to the client, some contract strategies allow for the facility to be completed once it is in operation, has been maintained and eventually is demolished. Costings and programmes are then related to life-cycle issues and aspects such as maintenance have to be taken into account during the facility development stages. The adoption of Concurrent Engineering (CE) is seen to offer the construction industry a way forward. Having been adopted extensively by manufacturing in its product development stages a similar adoption by the construction industry would go some way to achieving the 30% improvement in real terms suggested by Latham [1994] and Egan [1998]. The research described in the thesis aims to develop a new procurement method for the delivery of construction projects. The approach adopted was to identify current methods of procurement and the problems associated with each method. Then using Concurrent Engineering as a basis, a new procurement model was developed that offered potential improvements in the construction process between the stages of Clients Briefing and Detailed Design. The resulting model was evaluated through the application of CE principles into the process and by the presentation and discussion of the method with a number of industry participants, followed by the completion and assessment of a questionnaire. The model was shown to fulfil the principles of CE and could be adopted into construction. It offers a new approach to procurement which in turn would save costs and time and potentially improve the quality of the final construction product.

Means of efficient public procurement as per the regulation in the Czech Republic This paper focuses on the awarding of public contracts from the point of view of spending public money by contracting public authorities. In this paper, public procurement is approached not only in a way of common formal compliance with regulation but also in a way of economic balance, the latter being usually overlooked and thus the material point of public procurement, i.e. the efficient disbursement of public funds, is not achieved. There are two groups of mutually interconnected basic principles representing the material grounds of each of these two concepts. The first group is meant to secure fair competition whereas the second group's aim is to provide fundamental rules for the economical public purchasing by public authorities, including public procurement. Public purchase and its individual phases are analyzed and it is stressed that the resulting efficiency of public procurement depends also on the phases previous to the procurement procedure itself as well as on the phases following the conclusion of the contract with selected contractor. The initial theoretical part of this paper is supposed to show public procurement as a complex tool in order to satisfy the needs of a society where the mere compliance with...

Public sectors in the developed and emerging economies have been witnessing a period of intense change over the past three decades as a result of the development of free-market economy across the globe. In the UK, the public sector in 1970s (that comprised of nationalised industries) was severely criticised for being wasteful, and subject to political intervention, thereby making them inefficient systems for delivering public services. To put matters right, successive governments from the late 1970s embarked on public sector reforms. These reforms centred on increasing the role of private sector in delivering public services. Privatisation, the implementation of accruals-based accounting and application of compulsory competitive tendering in the public sector were some of these reforms. Public-private partnerships, including private finance initiatives (PFIs), introduced in the 1990s, were a continuation of these reforms. In the defence sector, various reforms carried out prior to 1990s failed to completely remove cost and time overruns in defence projects. PFIs were introduced to further rectify the failures of previous reforms in the defence sector because they were purported to provide better value for money. Defence PFIs are long-term agreements whereby the Ministry of Defence, MoD, contracts to purchase quality services on a long-term basis from the private sector (through the special purpose vehicle, SPV) in which the private sector provides all the finance required in constructing the asset that is used to provide the services. Value for money of PFIs is about economy, efficiency and effectiveness. The question, though is whether, Defence PFIs provide value for money as claimed by the MoD? The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the effectiveness of three categories: 1) accommodation, 2) equipment and 3) training of Defence PFIs by assessing the financial robustness (over a six-year period) of the SPVs engaged in their delivery. This research employs a multi-method methodological approach to gather data. Qualitative research methods were employed in exploring and understanding customer-supplier relationships and included, PPPs, PFIs in general (and Defence PFIs in particular), the public sector reforms that brought about private sector integration, 4 defence reforms, and Defence PFI policies. Quantitative research was used to collect and evaluate financial data on SPVs (used in Defence PFIs). Research analysis provided mixed results regarding the financial robustness of SPVs employed in the delivery of Defence PFIs. The profit margins of SPVs involved in the delivery of Defence PFIs relating to the category of accommodation were the highest. This is followed by SPVs in the category of Defence equipment and then by SPVs in the category of Defence training. Interestingly, the majority of SPVs involved in the delivery of Defence PFIs relating to accommodation have sound financial health. On the other hand, most SPVs relating to the other two categories have serious financial problems and therefore show cause for concern. Based on research findings of this study, a number of important policy recommendations are advanced to raise the effectiveness of PFIs in the defence sector and the wider public sector. / © Cranfield University, 2014

Despite various efforts to introduce support measures and financial incentives to improve innovation in the public sector, it is widely perceived that the adoption of innovation is a slow and complex process (Albury, 2005; Coriat and Levinthal, 1990). Evidence of previous research indicates that the adoption of innovation varies considerably across public sector organisations, regardless of the perceived potential benefit of the new product (or service) (Cash and MOster, 2000; Edquist, 2005).The public procurement and innovation literature emphasises the potential of public sector organisations as important buyers and adopters of innovation, highlighting the role of public demand for the triggering and diffusion of innovation (Edler et al. 2011; Cunningham and Karakasidou, 2009; Edquist, 1997). However, innovation adoption in the public sector has been characterised as a slow and unpredictable process where the underlying institutional factors that play a role in the adoption process are not fully understood (Albury, 2005; Allman et al., 2011). The topic of poor adoption in the public sector is of great significance, not only for the innovation agenda, but also due to the increasing pressure on the public sector to achieve higher quality services with more efficient allocation of resources, particularly the NHS (Bonoma, 1985).The main objective of the research is to address the problem of slow and inconsistent adoption of innovation in the public sector, by providing a more holistic and institutional perspective to the study of innovation adoption, addressing the lack of context specific research on the topic. A major focus of this work is to understand the relationship between the adoption of innovation and institutions as a means to establish a more in-depth understanding of the institutional features that influence the adoption process. The research focuses on new technology procurement cases in the context of the English and Scottish NHS system, as two different institutional contexts, in order to identify the institutional features at the system’s and organisational level hat make a difference in adoption of innovation.