Types of E-Procurement Systems and Technologies Used in the Nigerian Construction Environment

The use of e-Procurement in the acquisition of construction works and services has witnessed a tremendous growth in the past three decades across the world. However, in a developing country like Nigeria, there is the lack of understanding of the different types of e-Procurement systems and specific technologies used to support the execution of construction procurement tasks. This study, therefore, relied on a questionnaire survey of 759 users of e-Procurement to systematically identify the different types of e-Procurement systems and technologies used in the Nigerian construction environment. The results of data analysis revealed that whereas the common e-Procurement systems used in the study area are those that help in disseminating/receiving information on tender opportunities, exchanging construction project information/data, submitting tenders, awarding contracts, placing orders and making/receiving payment for materials/equipment and services, the use of systems that help in tracking the movement of materials/equipment and monitoring the progress of work on construction sites was not very common. In addition, it was also found that the main e-Procurement technologies used to support the execution of construction procurement activities in the study area were e-Mails, websites and web portals. The study concludes that the over reliance on simple e-Procurement technologies such as e-Mail and websites/portals with limited capacity to engender collaboration, integration and coordination of tasks is inconsistent with the growing sophistication and advancement in construction procurement activities and processes and that this has a tendency to limit the benefits associated with e-Procurement in construction project delivery in Nigeria