Oyez, oyez, all ye who have something to say on public procurement

I'm sure you have something to say about public procurement. Have you ever thought of expressing your opinion in the form of a debate piece or like to share a new development (some of GO Awards entries would be ideal), or completed some relevant research which you'd like to share? 

Public Money and Management is an international, academic and professional journal covering public sector finance, policy and management. A special themed issue on Public Procurement is planned for January 2015 - yes, I know that's a long way away, but that's how long these things take. But the good news is that you also have plenty of advance notice to consider either completing some research or putting down some thoughts.

If you would be interested in potentially having a paper published in the Public Procurement themed issue, we'd be interested in hearing from you.  

Below is a copy of the formal call for papers, so give it some thought:

Call for papers: PMM theme on public procurement

Guest editors: Gordon Murray and Andrew Erridge

Public procurement is centre stage in public service delivery yet dogged by controversy: corruption allegations from Indian helicopters to Hawaiian university construction contracts; aircraft carriers which are not fit for purpose; wrongly awarded rail franchises; and trailblazing initiatives, such as the private finance initiative, which have questionable benefits. Public sector procurement is not easy because it is complex and high profile.

A public procurement themed issue of PMM is scheduled for January 2015 (Public Money & Management, Vol. 35, No. 1). The issue will provide an opportunity for debate pieces (1000 words), main papers (no more than 5500 words) and new development articles (up to 3000 words) to contribute to making a positive impact on policy and practice. Submissions must be of benefit to academics and reflective practitioners.

Submissions that relate their findings to practice are particularly welcomed, as PMM is widely consulted by practitioners. Equally, as PMM has international influence, international comparative analysis is encouraged. Articles may cover some of the following suggested topics, but we welcome contributions beyond this list:

• Lessons from decades of public procurement policy initiatives. 
• The effectiveness of public procurement as a political strategy. 
• The appropriate role of politicians in public procurement. 
• The impact of public procurement policy, for example innovation, SMEs, third sector. 
• Combating corruption in procurement.
• Evaluation of organizational structures. 
• Public perceptions of public procurement. 
• The measurement of procurement savings. 
• The effectiveness of public procurement performance management. 
• The impact of digital strategy on public procurement.
• The future of public procurement.

Outline proposals of around 300–400 words for main papers should be submitted by 1 January 2014 to both editors at drgordonmurray@gmail.com and AF.Erridge@ulster.ac.uk, and manuscripts for debate and new development articles should be emailed as Word documents by 1 April 2014. See http:// www.tandfonline.com/rpmm fir information about preparing an article for PMM.