This book presents an interdisciplinary exploration of the governance of public procurement reform in Africa. Through a bottom-up approach to case studies and comparative analyses, scholars, practitioners, and social activists write about the organizational mechanisms and implementation gaps in public procurement governance in light of the general premises of national reform. Reforming the ways in which government purchases works, goods, and services from the private sector is one of the most sweeping policy reform undertaken in Africa in the past decade. Despite the transnational scope of policy change, very little is known about the mechanisms of public procurement governance at the subnational level. The argument in this volume is that policy reforms that mitigate contractual hazards along the three-dimensional "law-politics-business matrix" are more likely to bring about meaningful institutional transformation and broader social accountability. Key to substantive transformation ofpublic procurement is the revitalization and professionalization of the public sector to meet the opportunities and challenges of development by contract.

Foreword.-Introduction.-1. Implicit Dimensions of Public Procurement Contracts: African History and Debates.-2. Why Do some African Countries Negotiate Unfair Resource Contracts?.-3. Procurement Policy Subversion in Contracts between South African Retailers and Suppliers.-4: Substantive and Objective Criteria in Preferential Public Procurement: The Case of 2011 Regulations in South Africa.-5. Deviations and (In)discretions in the Governance of South African Public Entities Enjoy.-6: Decentralization and Accountability Challenges to Appointing Independent Bid Committees in the Public Sector.-7: Public Procurement in Botswana: A Survey of Issues.-8: History and Evolution of Public Procurement Reforms in Uganda.-9. Social Accountability Mechanisms and Public Procurement Reform in Nigeria.-10. The Role of New Technologies of Communication and Social Audits in Procurement Monitoring.-11. Governance in the Health Sector Procurement: The Role of Public and Private Practitioners inBotswana.-12: Budget Allocation Mechanisms and Public Infrastructure Governance in Nigeria: Lesson from Osun State.-13. The Governance of Concessionary Assets: A Review of the Partnership between Kenya and the Rift Valley Railways Consortium