Is Public Procurement Truly Transparent and Fair?

Abstract: This study looks at how following procurement regulations affects viewpoint on fairness in public procurement practised at the Water Authority of Fiji. It further explores if perceived transparency does affect the linking between compliance and fairness. A very structured quantitative method was used to collect data from WAF employees who are involved in daily procurement activities. Analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics that showed that practicing strict compliance procurement regulation improves stakeholders’ sense of fairness. Perceived transparency mediates the relationship between compliance and stakeholder’s view. The findings suggest that only following regulations is not enough to build trust and maintain ethical transparency to create confidence in procurement processes. This research helps one to understand how well compliance, transparency and fairness interconnect to amongst each other to improve governance, accountability and ethical practices in public procurement. The result can assist policy makers strengthen stakeholder trust for efficient use of public resources.