Transparency and emergency procurement: the moderating effect of bounded rationality “striving for ‘good enough’ <i>in lieu</i> of optimal?”

Purpose Emergeny procurement (EP) addresses unforeseen events like natural disasters or pandemics, requiring expedited procedures and flexible decision-making. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey of public procuring organizations in Dodoma and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, data analysis employed structural equation modeling (SEM). SEM was employed in testing the hypotheses of the study. Findings Transparency (TR) emerges as a potent driver, with its coefficient of 0.3623 signifying that heightened TR positively influences emergency procurement, and bounded rationality (BR) exhibits a coefficient of 0.2817, suggesting that greater correlation with enhanced outcomes of EP. TR positively impacts EP, while BR negatively affects it. BR also moderates the relationship between TR and EP exhibiting a coefficient of −0.0198. Research limitations/implications Future research should explore decision-making styles, impacts of TR interventions, and cross-context comparative studies to refine methods. Practical implications Organizations should prioritize transparency measures and interventions to mitigate cognitive biases, enhancing EP effectiveness. Rational decision-making is likely to improve the effectiveness of EP. Social implications Improved EP can enhance public trust, ensure fair resource distribution, and better address urgent societal needs during crises. This can also enhance stakeholder collaboration and achievement of value for money. Originality/value The study highlights the importance of enhancing TR and addressing cognitive biases to improve EP outcomes. TR positively influences cognitive bias decisions and has the potential to facilitate the complexities of the public sector environment.