Evaluation of political influence in Public Procurement system, a case study of the Department of Public Works and Roads and the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management in the North West Province

Abstract

The study has evaluated whether there is political influence within the Public Procurement in the North West Provincial Department of Public Works and Roads and the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management. The study took place observing whether Public Procurement guidelines are followed in the tender processes in these two departments. The study collected data through questionnaires distributed to business owners within the North West Province and through interviews held with Directors of Public Procurement, each from the department of Public Works and Roads and the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management. The researcher adopted key informant sampling and purposive sampling as sample procedures. This was because the researcher targeted specific participants being entrepreneurs in the North West Province and specific public procurement practitioners being the directors of public procurement management in two departments. It became apparent from the study that politics does have an influence in who gets to receive certain tender/s within these departments. Another finding was the interference that public procurement administrators are subjected to. They are experiencing this interference from the political heads in the departments. In relation to the findings of the study, the researcher made the following recommendations: - - Politics be distanced from the administration within the public sector - The departments should not excessively announce or plan projects without having received or applied for a budget. This will ensure that each department sticks to the given budget and no emerging wasteful/unauthorised expenditure. - Departments must adopt a "free corruption in the workplace" initiative where awareness against corruption is initiated