Municipal procurement of goods and services: Implementation, challenges and proposed solutions

The procurement of goods and services that municipalities are required to obtain from the private sector for the provision of public services must be managed through effective, transparent and efficient processes in order to meet increasing and diversifying public demands with limited resources. Public procurement processes which aim to promote fair competition and provide cost advantages to public administrations, have significant economic, social and financial impacts at both local and national levels. These processes are regulated not only by national legislation but also by international standards. In the Republic of Türkiye, the primary legal framework governing this area is Public Procurement Law No. 4734, which is notable for its alignment with international procurement principles and norms. This study aims to examine the implementation processes of municipal procurement under this law, identify the problems encountered in practice and propose relevant solutions. A qualitative research method was adopted to obtain in-depth information within the scope of the study. The study is structured as a case study and the data were collected through interviews and document analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 46 senior municipal officials. The data were analyzed using a content analysis approach, supported by the use of NVivo 14 Qualitative Data Analysis Software. Based on the findings, it was concluded that problems arising from the resource constraints faced by municipalities are particularly prominent while the issues stemming from legal regulations and other factors could potentially be resolved more easily and quickly.