Assessing the Impact of E-Procurement Implementation in Ghana Health Services, Ashanti Region of Ghana

Abstract

Purpose: E-Procurement is more than just a system for making purchases online. Some companies implement e-procurement and succeed while others fail. This study was carried out to assess the impact and the strategic challenges of e-procurement implementation in some selected health facilities in the Ashanti region of Ghana. The main objective of the study is to assess the impact of electronic procurement implementation and its challenges in some selected health facilities in the Ashanti region of Ghana.Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive approach in trying to establish the factors that influence the success of e-procurement implementation projects. The population sample for the study was four public hospitals, PPA, and medical suppliers in the Ashanti region with the used of census survey and the data collection methods used in the study were secondary and primary data. The data was collected from the respondents through questionnaires.Findings: It was revealed that Ghana health service institutions have not yet adopted the e-procurement management system. The critical success factors for e-procurement implementation identified were: organisational and environmental issues, technical issues, and management commitment to successful e-procurement adoption. It was also revealed that for the e-procurement implementation to be successful there is the need for education and training of stakeholders, resources investment to the provision of IT and ICT network infrastructure and reliable power supply, establishment of legal and regulatory framework to serve as legal backing and employing the requisite technical personnel to man the e-procurement system effectively. Again the study found that set-up cost, top management posture, lack of skilled personnel, the inadequacy of IT and ICT infrastructure, and lack of e-procurement legal backing tools are the major challenges impeding e-procurement adoption in the health sector.A unique contribution to theory, practice, and policy: The study recommends that Ghana health service institutions need to incorporate all the e-procurement activities into the system by finding out ways of encouraging employees to make use of the e-procurement system.

Keywords: e-procurement, e-reverse auctioning, value for money, cost reduction, and saving

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-23-10

Publication date:August 31^st 2023