The impact of Benin’s first public procurement code and its amendment on healthcare equipment acquisition prices

Abstract

PurposeTo satisfy donors and reduce public procurement acquisition prices, Benin has implemented and amended its first public procurement code guided by top-down principles of good governance.Design/methodology/approachThis study aims to measure the impact of the code and its amendment on public procurement acquisition prices of health-care equipment from 1995 to 2010.FindingsA segmented linear regression analysis was performed using interrupted time-series data. The analysis shows that the code and its amendment did not reduce acquisition prices, indicating the limited impact of the code. The authors recommend the implementation of bottom-up processes in establishing the public procurement system, and the development of a reference pricelist of the most widely used health-care equipment, as possible solutions for improving the effectiveness of the code.