ART - Symposium Introduction - Khi V. Thai 2004

The document is an introduction to a symposium on public procurement challenges. The author highlights the various factors that contribute to the challenging environment faced by public procurement professionals, including strict regulations, oversight, political interference, and unsatisfied clients. The author also mentions the challenges of resource constraints, procurement reform, technological advancements, and shortage of staff. The symposium aims to address these challenges by selecting six papers that were presented at a conference on public procurement. Two of the selected papers focus on the challenges of utilizing technology in procurement, specifically the World Bank's e-Procurement initiative and the European Union's use of auctions and reverse auctions. Another paper explores the outsourcing decisions made by public procurement officials and assesses the management costs of delivering services under alternative institutional arrangements. The authors of this paper have developed an innovative approach to assessing management costs and will use their framework to determine if there are more efficient ways to deliver services. Overall, the symposium aims to provide insights and solutions to the challenges faced by public procurement professionals.