icegov2012 proceedings

A strategy of evolution of the market of electronic spending from
a simple transactional model to an integrated model to other
systems with functionalities and services with additional value.
In the following, the pending challenges on the municipal level
are presented with a final goal to take advantage of all the benefits
that a reform on the system of spending would have:
To fulfill the promised payments with the vendors. This was a
recurring problem in our survey and in the registered complaints
in ChileCompra.
To increase the uptime in the public marketplace platform, which
are mentioned in a recurring manner in both surveys.
To reduce the cycle time of the procurement process through
specific features in the electronic platform of Chilecompra. It is
observed that the offers through ChileCompra have doubled from
3 to 6 (on average) by the process of procurement. This has
produced an increase in the time of award, that in the survey was
reflected in that 67% of those surveyed declared longer delay than
before and in the cause of the poorest municipalities the
perception of increased delay reached almost 80%. This, as a
consequence, produces that this process does not form part of the
current features of ChileCompra; therefore, it should be done with
external systems. Naturally, the poor municipalities find
themselves with fewer resources of support with respect to how
this result would be explained. Consequently, the providers accuse
with difficulty the non-fulfillment of the awarding period by the
part of the municipalities.
To carry out the publication on the Annual Plan of Spending, just
as it is established in the Procurement Law (Nr. 19.886, article
12), given that, according to the results that the survey obtained,
only slightly more than half the municipalities realize. We believe
that one possible cause that explains the situation is due to the
system of the administration of the budget, which should include a
plan of spending that, currently, is not integrated with
ChileCompra.
To increase the levels of training in the use of the ICTs, in
particular in the poorest municipalities.
To reinforce the diffusion and the use of the channels of
complaints of irregularities in the community of the providers. It
is appreciated that a significant percentage of providers (31%) are
not familiar with the existing channels to realize denouncements
of irregularities in the processes of procurement. However,
ChileCompra has formal mechanisms of complaint and moreover
there is the Tribunal of Public Procurement. The communication
should consider the principle identifying motives for not
denouncing irregularities among which could be the sense that the
denouncement will have no effect, and the fear of reprisal.
In the following, the factors of the organizational cultures are
presented that favor or reduce the impacts in public procurement
accompanied by the introduction of ICTs would have:
One positive aspect that is the level of collaboration between
municipalities (to share knowledge, information of providers and
good practices) declared by the buyers (38%). We believe that this
has produced as a consequence of activities of support and
training coordination principally by ChileCompra, The
Association of Municipalities and SUBDERE (diplomats,
trainings, Programs of the Bettering of Management, among
448
other), of which have introduced a generating in the instances of
collaboration.
It is observed that, as both with buyers and vendors, there does not
exist a correlation between the use of ChileCompra and the
increase in the levels of training in ICTs.
The most relevant conclusion of this study has been to
demonstrate that the Process of the Reform of Public Procurement
in Chile, in particular in the municipalities, has brought as
consequence an increase in the level of transparency in the
processes. However, it cannot be concluded that there has been a
significant lessening in the level of apparent corruption. The
previous leads to say that to produce an impact in the reduction of
corruption; it is not enough to solely better the processes and the
technologies of information. What is additionally requires are
initiatives that point explicitly to modify the cultural standard
associated with the involved actors.
Another important impact generated by the use of the Public
Market is the increase in the utilization of the ICT by the
municipalities and their providers. This fact, due to its
massiveness and multiplying effect, should too have an impact on
a national level, given the closeness of the municipalities and its
citizens.
As the next steps of this study, we recommend the development of
similar projects in different counties of the region too including
other sectors that have been affected by the process of the reform
of Spending (at least in Chile): State Universities, Public
Hospitals and the Armed Forces
8. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was funded by IDRC 7 (International Development
Research Center) with collaboration of National University of San
Martín (Argentina) who authorized the preparation of this paper.
This work is part of the ICT4GP (Information Communication
Technology for Government Procurement) program.
We would like to thank all those who collaborated to make this
study possible. We would especially like to gives thanks to the
support of ChileCompra, which provided key information and
assisted in the distribution of the survey. In particular, we would
like to emphasize the support and work of Guillermo Burr of the
Department of Studies of ChileCompra for his assistance in the
entire process related to the survey of buyers and vendors.
9. REFERENCES
[1] Aberdeen Group, The E-procurement Benchmark Report,
December 2004.
[2] Albornoz, M.B.B y M Rivero, Experiencias Andinas de
Gobierno Electrónico, 2007.
[3] Arozamena L. and F. Weinschelbaum, Compras Públicas:
Aspectos Conceptuales y Buenas Prácticas, Programa
ICT4GP, Documento de Trabajo Nº1, Buenos Aires, Mayo
de 2010.
7 (http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Pages/default.aspx)