Future directions for research in public procurement and contract management

Public procurement is a complex government function, as it links closely with budgeting, influences the creation and enactment of organizational strategy, and affects the implementation and performance of public programs. Initial steps have been taken to describe the use of government contracts, understand transaction costs in contracting, and make sense of principal-agent relationships in contracting. Building on these traditions of research, contracting and procurement offer fertile ground for future scholars interested in developing a better theoretical and practical understanding of modern governance. To help guide future research on contracting and procurement, this chapter outlines the primary takeaways from existing scholarship and identifies four important gaps in the literature. For each gap, the authors review existing studies and present a series of research questions that remain unanswered. They conclude with an overall assessment of the state of the field and a summary of areas where new approaches and scholarship are needed.