Suchergebnisse

Das öffentlichen Beschaffungsmanagement steht zunehmend im Spannungsfeld zwischen Wirtschaftlichkeit, (Vergabe-)Rechtskonformität und politisch-strategischen Zielsetzungen. Die steigenden Anforderungen erfordern neue Lösungsansätze und alternative Konzepte. In diesem Sammelband werden aktuelle und zukünftige Trends sowie Herausforderungen einer exzellenten öffentlichen Beschaffung anschaulich zusammengefasst. Ziel ist es, die Weiterentwicklung und Professionalisierung von Best Practices auf nationaler und internationaler Ebene vorzustellen und die Akteure anzuleiten, um einen nachhaltig optimierten öffentlichen Einkauf zu gewährleisten.

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how communication with suppliers influences performance during production ramp-up. Often, time, cost or quality targets are missed in production ramp-ups while the number and frequency of ramp-ups is further increasing. The goal of this paper is thus to contribute a better understanding if and to which extend communication content or communication relationship is affecting ramp-up performance.


Design/methodology/approach
The research uses data from a dyadic survey (N = 160) in the German automotive industry. The data set comprises responses from buyers and suppliers. Constructs, namely, information and relationship quality, as well as communication satisfaction, are measured. The effect of communication is evaluated referring to cost, quality and time dimensions of performance. The analysis is applied with structural equation modeling methodology. This research is complemented by a multigroup analysis (MGA) especially comparing buyer and supplier respondent groups.


Findings
The results indicate that communication satisfaction positively influences ramp-up performance and that information quality is of higher relevance than relationship quality. Briefly, information exchange (what information to transfer) is more important than relationship management (how to transfer information). This finding contrasts previous literature focusing on relationship factors in communication settings. Furthermore, findings from MGA sustain the findings, because effects are also analyzed from a supplier's or buyer's viewpoint. Overall, the findings imply that supplier communication in production ramp-up must of course provide a high level of information quality. However, to optimize ramp-up performance also a high level of relationship quality is required.


Research limitations/implications
This study featured data from the German automotive industry from buyer's and supplier's perspective. This limits its generalizability, yet provides opportunities to test the findings through longitudinal studies, potentially gathering data from other sectors.


Practical implications
This research recommends managers deliver high information quality to improve communication satisfaction. Hence, this survey provides support for business communication o enhance ramp-up performance to achieve success in buyer–supplier relations.


Originality/value
Besides the original dyadic database, this research addresses production ramp-up as a very dynamic process. Plans and forecasts change often, thus supplier communication takes place in a stress situation. Then, communicators might overstate information quality and lose sight of relationship quality. The study contributes to this field of research and postulates that (automatic, autonomous) data exchange requires behavioral and relational support. The findings are useful for companies in stress situation (e.g. also a pandemic supply crisis) and will avoid that the optimization of information exchange disregards the relationship aspect.

Purpose
– Given the high importance of information systems for procurement, surprisingly there have been little efforts to analyze the process and the relevant reasons for the procurement decision of such systems from a stakeholder perspective. The purpose of this paper is to explore these aspects in the context of low-value (C-)parts.


Design/methodology/approach
– Research is based on a case study in a pre-fabricator company in Germany and analyzes the process to procure a system for sourcing low-value parts.


Findings
– As a finding, the procurement process and decision attributes have been integrated into a framework which supports corporate decision-making considering the procurement reasons of all involved stakeholders (internal departments, external customers and suppliers).


Research limitations/implications
– Research is based on case study analysis. Findings are specific to case companies and the environment in which they operate. The framework should be tested further in different contexts.


Practical implications
– The developed decision frame supports the evaluation of different sourcing information systems, including clearly measurable criteria but also qualitative or company-strategic decision attributes.


Originality/value
– The combination of financial and other perspectives (operations, information technology (IT)-administration, system users, etc.), is used to evolve a robust ex-ante instrument for supporting buying decisions for procurement information systems. The case description also illustrates the findings and develops new insights about stakeholders and buying groups decision-making for information systems.

Abstract
The media and the public often make claims regarding the excessive cost increases in the development and production of major weapon systems such as fighter planes, submarines or tanks. The purpose of this research is in assessing the cost increase of such weapon systems during their procurement periods with the help of the Paasche price index. In contrast to other approaches, which focus upon either the specific situations of single weapon systems or cost increases relative to planned budgets, we compare several projects of military services and their cost increases over time to reveal generalisable trends.
For this purpose, we used a framework model that allows for performance and cost comparisons. This paper primarily emphasises the cost perspective by calculating a Paasche index for each chosen project. As a background case for our analysis, we have used the acquisition projects for major weapon systems in Germany. However, the framework model that this study employs is universally applicable.
In contrast to the public perception of cost increases, we could not find any clear trend that would indicate that modern weapon systems have a significantly higher (or lower) cost increase than was the case for projects several decades before. To give brief insight into the empirical findings, the cost increase ratios of the Starfighter and Eurofighter jets have the same level, while cost increase ratios of other weapon systems (APC tanks, submarines) differ significantly (to the worse and to the better) over time. Our findings imply that there is no general trend that today the costs for weapon systems increase more/less than some decades ago. This paper calculates data only from the regarded seven cases therefore we could not question the causes for this observation on basis of our sample. However, it appears that, within a specific service or a specific vehicle type (tank, fighter jet, ship/boat), cost increases may be similar over time.

PurposePerformance-based contracting (PBC) is a business model for the adaptive and innovative delivery of product-service systems. In PBC, the provider is paid according to the service performance with the aim of providing monetary incentives to safeguard possible outcomes as much as possible for the PBC customer. Performance measurement and its management are crucial for PBC success and, in particular, for the pay-for-performance link. However, the literature on PBC performance management is rather sparse, and there has been no systematic review on the topic. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to fill that gap and to present a comprehensive and systematic review of performance measurement and management in the PBC context.Design/methodology/approachThe paper builds on a literature review based on a sample of 102 subject-relevant articles from academic journals. The content analysis follows a two-step procedure. First, the articles are coded following a process-based research framework. Second, the content of each process step is assessed in a qualitative text analysis.FindingsThe results show a surprising scarcity of papers that explicitly address performance management topics in the context of PBC. Only the topics of performance specification and performance indicators are broadly addressed, whereas in all of the other areas, e.g., strategic alignment, data capture and reporting, only limited specific findings could be found.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper concludes that future research on performance management in PBC should expand its theoretical framework and empirical efforts in four specific proposed directions.Originality/valueThe paper provides an up-to-date review that is focused on performance management and measurement in the emerging context of PBC.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence of connections between sustainability policy goals included in public procurement tenders and offers and their achievement through contract award. Design/methodology/approach – Two hypotheses based on extant literature and the inducement–contribution theory were tested by means of a survey of 281 procurement files from 2007 to 2009 relating to eight product categories and four European Union (EU) member states. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings – Findings indicate that public procurement was more effective in influencing socially responsible goals than environmental goals. In terms of supplier readiness, vendors achieved greater progress in delivering green than socially responsible operations. Research limitations/implications – The collection and analysis of data are based on procurement files, which is a new but also a complex procedure. In comparison to survey data, the data from procurement file analysis are less biased. Practical implications – Public procurement practitioners and sustainability policymakers should consider the use of public procurement as a lever to attain environmental and socially responsible goals. Social implications – Evidence has been provided to demonstrate the strategic use of public procurement impacts on environmental and socially responsible goals, thereby benefiting society. Originality/value – This study contributes in three main ways: first, by adding to existing, limited research on the use of public procurement as a lever of policy goals attainment; second, by examining environmental and socially responsible policy in one study; and third, through providing evidence across EU member states.

Increasingly, public sector organizations collaborate to buy products and services. They collectively form purchasing groups to deliver more value for money. What is the progress of these small‐scale developments of public sector purchasing groups to date, in the early phases of their life cycle? Although previous research provides general descriptions of life‐cycle phases, little attention has been paid to detailed small‐scale developments that take place within each life‐cycle phase. As a result, little knowledge is available about small‐scale developments of purchasing groups. More insight is important in order to better understand how purchasing groups can develop over time from one life‐cycle phase into another. Three in‐depth case studies from different countries offer a unique comparative overview of small‐scale developments in these early life‐cycle phases for their five dimensions. Most small‐scale problems follow a predictable path, but the way in which the purchasing groups deal with such problems differs depending on the specific situation of the group.