Supplier Alliances in Public Procurement Context of a Developing Country

Case Study of the National Agricultural Research Organization - NARO Uganda

Abstract

This paper empirically investigates the implementation of Supplier Alliances in the public sector in developing countries using a case study of Uganda. Data were collected from experienced procurement practitioners in Uganda. Seventy-nine respondents participated in the study. Questionnaires and interview guides were administered to collect quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The results indicate that Supplier Alliances have been implemented in the public sector and private sector. This study reveals that the approaches for Supplier Alliances have had some similarities and differences. Advance payments, prompt payments, and training are key attributes of alliances in public sector procurement while joint specification development, mutual setting of costs and quality targets are rare despite being popular in the private sector. The findings of this study contribute to knowledge of the best practices of Supplier Alliances in the public sector. In addition, bidders and public entities would be informed of the appropriate measures to adopt when engaging in Supplier Alliances arrangements in any part of the world, whether in a developing or developed economy.