Mapping public procurement practices in India

Public expenditure and hence a good public procurement (PP) practices are used by most governments to meet specific responsibilities for their citizens. As per World Bank, public procurement is a strategic tool for achieving development, social and environmental objectives of governments, rather than using it as a tool for mere compliance with rules and regulations. In India, the estimated PP expenditure is between 20 and 30% of GDP. The introduction of Public Procurement Bill in the Parliament of India in 2012, with a commitment to rollout e‐procurement system across all departments, makes it imperative to understand the complex challenges of using PP to achieve national economic and social objectives. This study explores the prevalent PP activity in India. It attempts to identify and map benchmarking practices vis‐à‐vis recent international studies available including those conducted by World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.