Implementation of Public e-Procurement in Swedish

An increasing number of organizations in the public sector are beginning to adopt e-procurement, which its benefits (e.g., to reduce costs through increased efficiency in the procurement function) are well known by businesses. The purpose of this paper is to assess the implementation of eprocurement concept within Swedish government authorities during 2001 and 2008. A qualitative research approach was applied, and a longitudinal study was conducted. Data were collected in 2001 and 2008 through structured personal telephone interviews with 15 central government agencies. Results show that the implementation of e-procurement has developed substantially during recent years, but Swedish government authorities have still not yet adopted and utilized e-procurement to its full potential. Benefits and challenges were identified. The implementation and use of e-procurement were also found to have an impact on the buying behavior, i.e., on the buying process, the selection criteria and the buying center.