Public procurement and supply chain management Edition: 1

The global market of today is characterised by fierce competition which has heightened customer expectations and forced business enterprises to invest in, and focus attention on, their supply chains. This, together with continuing advances in information and communication technology, has motivated the continuous evolution of the supply chain and of the techniques to manage it effectively. In South Africa, the public sector is confronted with supply chain skill and capacity shortages. Hence there is a need for continuous learning and development of supply chain staff to maintain a feasible fit between government institutions’ objectives, skills and resources and a changing procurement environment. Public procurement and supply chain management will help to accelerate much-needed transformation in the public sector in this regard.