Electronic Procurement Systems Adoption in Construction Procurement: A Global Survey on the Barriers and Strategies from the Developed and Developing Economies

Abstract

With digital technologies providing sustainable avenues for addressing construction problems, electronic procurement systems (EPS) offer viable solutions for transforming construction procurement processes in projects. However, the uptake of EPS has not been as apparent as it should have been due to the complexities of barriers and strategies. Unlike previous studies that focused narrowly on either barriers to or strategies for EPS use, this study aims at examining EPS barriers and strategies from various countries to provide a more comprehensive global perspective regarding EPS implementation. Through an expert survey, 94 procurement experts from different countries evaluated the influences of these barriers and strategies. Subsequently, factor analysis was used to objectively cluster the results from the survey. In effect, six groups of barriers and three groups of strategies were identified. The barrier groups were related to technological usability and evolution, security and unsupportive environment, culture, infrastructure, unethical practices, and financial and skill. For strategies, the groups were related to organizational dynamics, industry technology ecosystem, and innovation adaptation mechanism. Regarding the developed and developing economies categorization, the rank agreement analysis results showed several degrees of disparities and consensus on the influences of barriers and strategies to EPS implementation across the two contexts. In effect, the contextual variabilities in the influences of these barriers and strategies across the two economic contexts are provided for researchers and practitioners to improve their efforts in promoting EPS. This study contributes to EPS knowledge by providing insights on the contextual dynamics of critical barriers and strategies from the developed and developing economies contexts.