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ABSTRACT.
As government responds to demands to become more efficient and effective, procurement professionals are expected to focus primarily on the strategic aspects of procurement and less on routine transactions. In reality, public procurement masks the ability of government to transform taxes and other revenues into consumption by government institutions at federal, state and local levels, ostensibly for the public good. Public purchasers are told by their professional institutions and their private sector peers to be more proactive and less reactive in order to add greater value to their organization. However, tradition has decreed that procurement processes are managed by "unglamorous individuals" (Stewart, 1994) who are required, first and foremost, to satisfy the complex accountability processes of the government, an administrative principle, which is reinforced by recent failures of corporate financial governance. Furthermore, a search of contemporary literature shows little evidence that public procurement has penetrated the theoretical boundaries of public management or strategic management despite the profession's efforts over more than a decade to develop its profile. This paper explores two contemporary dilemmas: the boundaries of public procurement within the context of public administration and the mask of public accountability, which impedes the integration of public procurement into public administration (PA) and strategic theory.
INTRODUCTION
The field of public purchasing possesses a strong history in the United States from 1792 when the federal government authorized the Departments of War and Treasury to contract on behalf of the nation. While the intent of Congress was likely to prevent corruption in the letting of government contracts, the authorization also served as an acknowledgement of the profession (Callender & Matthews, 2000). Public sector purchasing, which progressed over the years, was viewed largely as a clerical function by many and a controlling gatekeeper by others (Grimm, 1999). It was not until the 1990s that the field took significant steps toward becoming a respectable profession. Much of this progress was due to the electronic technology boom, which prompted such efforts as e-procurement, e-business, and e-commerce. In a sense, this advancement in private and public business sectors forced public purchasers to step up and take on a strategic, leading role with their respective organizations or risk being left behind in obscurity. In 1994 the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA)...