Implementation of Ghana's Sustainable Public Procurement: A Communication for Development Perspective

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Malmo University, Sweden

School of Arts & Communication

Implementation of Sustainable Public Procurement in Ghana: A

Communication For Development Perspective

Degree Project

Submitted by- Rhoda E. Appiah

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ABSTRACT

Public Procurement in Ghana has undergone a number of reforms in recent times. The current reforms can be traced back to the 1990s which facilitated the enactment of the current Public Procurement Law in 2003.

Despite a number of achievements chalked throughout these reforms, the nation continues to grapple with other challenges like massive corruption allegations and perceptions of high inefficiencies due to unsustainable approaches to public procurement. For instance, the undue emphasis on the notion of the “lowest bidder wins the bid” has for instance, resulted in the procurement of energy appliances which may be low in price but have high rates of consumption of energy and sometimes produced under deplorable labour conditions and standards.

In line with global calls for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), the Government of Ghana in consultations with its Development Partners in 2012 initiated the implementation of the concept of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) in Ghana.

This study therefore is aimed at conducting an analysis of the project conceptualization and implementation and the extent to which communication for development tools and activities were deployed to achieve the project objectives. A further study will be carried out to assess the extent to which government procurements are being conducted to obtain sustainable goods, works and services.

Key research questions:

In order to collate data for analysis of the causal factors of the key problems of implementation of the project and proffer recommendation for improvement, the following questions will be probed.

1. Did the SPP project in Ghana adopt and implement the right systems, tools and actions for effective Advocacy among stakeholders?

2. Were Social Mobilisation tools and activities embraced to achieve the intended results?

3. Were the processes and deliverables of the intended Behaviour change well planned and executed?

4. Did the SPP project undergo substantial post implementation evaluation and was the feedback channeled through the appropriate conduits to influence further systemic improvements?

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5. Is there the need to have a follow-up project that will be implemented with a much improved Communication for Development component especially in the wake of pursuing the UN Sustainable Development Agenda?

At the end of the study, it was observed that Communications for Development must be given its pride and place as a critical aspect of Project conceptualization, Implementation and Monitoring & Evaluation in order to realize set objectives hence, the need for a follow-up project (phase 2) that will work at bringing home the issues of SPP in Ghana and make it a lot more practical to realize the ultimate gains.

Key words: Sustainable Public Procurement, Communication for Development and Behavior Change

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CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Public expenditure is what virtually turns the wheels of governance and enables governments to obtain the required goods, works and services to fulfil their mandates. Historically, research has proven how public expenditure has had its fair share of several rise and falls with countries like the United States recording public expenditure figures below even 2% during the First World War to recent statistics reaching over 50% among nations. It is however interesting to note, that a significant amount of these spending are focused on social protection and the provision of infrastructure even as governments increase their revenues1_.

Public expenditure can be measured in terms of share of GDP and often times gives an indication of the size of an economy although this assertion has been disputed in other circles. For instance, United Kingdom public expenditure averaged 35.4% of its GDP in 2016 while Sweden recorded 50% in 20162_.

But one thing is certain, these expenditure are translated into goods, works and services through the process of public procurement. Public procurement has been defined variously, The Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) has defined it as “the purchase by governments and state-owned enterprises of goods, services and works. As public procurement accounts for a substantial portion of the taxpayers’ money, governments are expected to carry it out efficiently and with high standards of conduct in order to ensure high quality of service delivery and safeguard the public interest”. As a result of that, it is increasingly recognized as an instrument of government policy and a lever for wider economic, social and environmental change (OECD, 2007).

The International Trade Centre3_{estimates that public procurement happens to be the largest} domestic market in developing countries such as Ghana and accounts for between 50%-70% of annual imports representing 18% to 25% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In terms of

1_{https://ourworldindata.org/public-spending/}

2_{https://tradingeconomics.com/sweden/government-spending-to-gdp} 3_{www.intracen.org}

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values, public procurement represents about 80% of Ghana’s annual budget besides personnel emoluments.

In spite of the huge role that public procurement plays in the economy, it has over the years acquired the unenviable status of being one of the most corrupt sectors in any economy. An ineffective public procurement system therefore provides ideal opportunities for corruption which leads to unfair award of government contracts, bid rigging, rent-seeking and other forms of corrupt practices which eventually results in shoddy execution of public works and services (weak bridges, fake medicines etc) and the ultimate loss of lives (Transparency International).

To mitigate the effects of such ills in the practise of public procurement, countries have embarked on a series of reforms to strengthen the legal framework and regulations of the practise of public procurement. In Ghana, the country has embarked on a number of reforms in public procurement aimed at addressing identified weaknesses with the passage of several financial and legal instruments. A brief historical account of public procurement reforms in the country, can be traced back to the colonial era and sometime after independence (1867-1960) when all public procurement for Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies were done by the Crown Agents of the United Kingdom (Ghana Supply Commission Annual Report, 1961). In 1960 however, the nation dispensed with the services of the Crown Agents and set up its own procurement organisation under an Act of Parliament (Ghana Supply Commission Act, 1960) which became the sole agent responsible for all manner of procurements for government. Later on, the Ghana National Procurement Agency (GNPA) was established under the SMDC 55 to ensure the smooth and timely flow of specified essential import items at a rather critical period of dwindling supplies in the country. In the course of time however, the Ghana issued a legal instrument to regulate aspects of public sector procurement – the Financial Administration Regulations (FAR), 1979 (LI.1234). This enactment regulated the acquisition, management and disbursement relating to supplies and equipment (Bennin 2004).

In 1999, another reform in public procurement was initiated under the Public Financial Management Reform Project financed by the World Bank which led to the passage of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) and its subsequent amendments in 2016. This law seeks to decentralise public procurement activities across all state organisations without using the assistance of any centralised or state procurement agency.

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Despite the number of achievements chalked throughout these reforms, the nation continues to grapple with other challenges like massive corruption allegations and perceptions of high inefficiencies due to unsustainable approaches to public procurement. For instance, the undue emphasis on the notion of the “lowest bidder wins the bid” has for instance, resulted in the procurement of energy appliances which are low in price but have high rates of consumption of energy and sometimes produced under deplorable labour conditions and standards.

This therefore called for a paradigm shift in public procurement which will demand the incorporation of sustainability indicators into the public procurement regime.

Ghana, has since the 1970’s shown significant commitment to the global call for sustainable development and environmental issues by being a signatory to many international conventions. At the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002, all governments were called upon to shift from unsustainable patterns of consumption and production to Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP). In order to accelerate this shift, governments were called upon to promote the development of a 10-Year Framework of Programmes (10-YFP) on SCP-A programme that gave birth to the Marrakech Process.

The Marrakech Process, established seven task forces with a focus on specific SCP issues, as part of the strategy to implement the 10-YFP. One of these task forces was the Marrakech Task Force on Sustainable Public Procurement (MTF-SPP) of which Ghana was a member. Others established were:

• Sustainable Products (hosted by the UK) • Sustainable Lifestyles (hosted by Sweden) • Sustainable Tourism (hosted by France)

• Sustainable Buildings & Construction (hosted by Finland)

• Education for Sustainable Consumption (hosted by Italy) and the •_{Cooperation with Africa (hosted by Germany).}

The MTF on SPP completed its mandate of developing the SPP Toolkit and propagating its functions to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in 2010.

Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) is about spending public funds on products/services/projects that achieve value for money on a whole life basis in terms of generating benefits not only for an

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organization but also to SOCIETY and the ECONOMY, while minimizing damage to the ENVIRONMENT to ensure sustainable development. It seeks to address the environmental, social and economic consequences of procurement actions from design, through manufacturing, to use, and final disposal of products and services. Refer to Fig 1 below:

Fig 1-The three dimensions of Sustainability

Source: http://www.sustainableprocurement.eu.com/documents/MTFonSPPReportCSD19FINAL.pdf This concept has become necessary because countries such as Ghana and other African countries are faced with worsening climatic conditions, poverty, deforestation and other environmental degradations which are mainly the result of inappropriate production and consumption practices. It therefore behoves on governments to demonstrate their commitment to considering and minimizing the environmental consequences of their procurement activities and uphold high standards of environmental stewardship.

Furthermore, available data indicates that up to 60% of a manufacturing company’s carbon footprint as well as about 80% of retailers’ are found along their supply chains and therefore must be held in check to avoid any adverse effects.

In recognition of this, Ghana assumed the responsibility to begin to entrench the principles of SPP in its procurement activities especially considering the fact that its average, public procurement expenditure represents about 17% of the GDP and therefore has a high stake in promoting this new approach.

The SPP concept, posits that, buyers are not mere consumers but have a lot of control over what is manufactured, and how it is manufactured, and therefore it will be prudent on the part of procuring entities in the country to be conscious of this. Institutional buyers should note that each time they

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procure from companies, they are “electing” or “voting” for such companies to continue operating the way they are. So if such companies do not adhere to good and sustainable practices such as paying fair wages, maintaining clean environment and reducing green house emissions through their operations, procuring from them would mean that they are being encouraged to continue operating in this manner.The benefits of SPP include a reduction of negative environmental impacts, improved social responsibility, more efficient use of resources and funds, among others. SPP can therefore drive social and economic policies, and reduce corruption (through ethical behaviour) (Adjei, n.d) Given these advantages of SPP, Ghana with support of about $2.7 million grant from the Swiss Confederation (SECO) developed the SPP Project (2010-2014) as a matter of urgency to respond to this global call to use its purchasing power to support companies that produce sustainable products eg.: recycled paper, renewable energy products etc. as they promote the sustainability agenda. Identified areas through which this agenda can be sustained included:

• The enactment of an SPP Policy document backed by legal instruments enforceable at the national or municipal levels;

• Exercising strong political will and leadership to drive the implementation process;

• Encouraging institutional buyers to redirect their focus from mainly upfront costs and profit maximization to include consideration of sustainability issues to enhance social equity, economic advancement and environmental safeguards; and

• Training of Compliance Inspectors for certification of sustainable products/processes;.(Procurement Digest, 2012)

Companies were to be encouraged to evaluate the impact of their operations on the environment by measuring their carbon footprints–the amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated. To date, Ghana through the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) has championed the course of SPP as one of its major policy initiatives designed to consolidate the gains of the country’s public procurement reforms. Some of the achievements of the project has been the development of a Draft SPP Policy document, the establishment of the Ghana Taskforce on SPP, the development of Special Training Modules and a nation-wide roll-out Training Programme as well as some awareness and advocacy programmes held among civil society, the private sector and government entities on this new concept. Standard Tender Documents used to prepare Tenders had also been revised to incorporate sustainability criteria.

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However, country reviews on the implementation of SPP in Ghana as well as feedback from stakeholders and participants of the project have indicated that although Ghana was pursuing a more systematic and comprehensive approach to SPP, it was still lacking in implementation (Ross 2013)4_.

1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

As alluded to in the introductory section, the SPP project was implemented in Ghana from 2010-2013. The SPP Project Management System as adopted by the MTF comprises six (6) broad components (refer to Fig. 2) namely:

• Status Assessment • Legal Review

• Market Readiness Analysis • SPP Policy Plan development • Training; and

•_{Implementation.}

Fig 2-SPP Project Management System Source-SPP Project Implementation Manual

However, the rolling out of the SPP project management system in Ghana was not quite successful as deduced from feedback and reviews made by stakeholders including the World Bank (2013) of the process after roll-out. Factors contributing to these implementation lapses are numerous and include the inadequacy of project timeline and funds to fully roll-out the laudable activities of the project. This has therefore left behind a rather critical gap between policy and practice of SPP in the country

4_{Ross Rita (2013) Sustainable Public Procurement in LICs-Implications for the On-going World Bank Procurement Review,}

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that needs to be filled to achieve the full benefit of the SPP project. Some scholarly works on the extent of SPP implementation in Ghana such as Rita Ross (2013), Emmanuel Offei (2014)5_{and Doh} Zebaot Kwadzo (2014)6_{analyzed the challenges of the SPP implementation from different} perspectives such as the World Bank Country Procurement Reviews as well as that of public works and health service procurements. For the purposes of this study, however, the challenges will be analysed from the perspective of Communication for Development towards behavior change. I will seek to explore the details of the gaps, analyze data through the lenses of Communication for Development and proffer recommendations that can result in social mobilization and behavior change as well as assist in the realization of the ultimate objectives of SPP in Ghana.

It is on this basis that I state the problem of this study as –“the SPP Project in Ghana 2010-2014 did not achieve all intended objectives due to insufficient deployment of communication tools and activities to achieve social mobilization and behavior change”.

1.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The analysis of this problem will be made on the basis of the three strategic components of the UNDP (2011) definition of Communication for Development namely –Advocacy, Social Mobilization and Behaviour Change. Thus in order to collate data for analysis of the causal factors of the key problems of implementation of the project and proffer recommendation for improvement, the following questions will be probed.

1. Did the SPP project in Ghana adopt and implement the right systems, tools and actions for effective Advocacy among stakeholders?

2. Were Social Mobilisation tools and activities embraced to achieve the intended results?

3. Were the processes and deliverables of the intended Behaviour change well planned, executed?

4. Did the SPP project undergo substantial post implementation evaluation and was the feedback channeled through the appropriate conduits to influence further systemic improvements?

5_{Offei Emmanuel (2014) Integrating Environmental and Social Considerations into Public Work Procurement in Ghana,}

KNUST, Ghana

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5. Is there the need to have a follow-up project that will be implemented with a much improved Communication for Development component especially in the wake of pursuing the UN Sustainable Development Agenda?

1.3 RESEARCH AIM

Although the pursuit of this research study is primarily for academic purposes, it is envisaged that the results of the study will contain revealing findings and good recommendations that will feed industry of procurement practice in Ghana and other jurisdictions. It is also envisioned that the results will be utilized by practitioners in the communication for development industry to improve the systems of advocacy, social mobilization and behavioral change in similar or diametrically different environments to achieve aid effectiveness.

1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

In order to achieve the research aim, the study explicitly seeks to:

1. Analyse the extent to which communication for development considerations were factored in the sustainable public procurement system in Ghana;

2. Proffer policy recommendations that will facilitate the integration of effective communication for development factors specifically into sustainable public procurement and into public procurement in Ghana in general; and

3. Provide a basis for future research in the thematic area.

1.5 ASSUMPTIONS

The main assumptions underpinning this study are:

1. Much attention was not given to the communication for development considerations during the SPP project’s implementation.

2. Most procurement officers in Ghana’s public sector have a basic knowledge about sustainable procurement.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH

For the purpose of carrying out this study, the scope will defined in two realms, namely the geographical scope and the contextual scope.

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Through the geographical scope, the study will examine six (6) institutions located within the Greater Accra Region of Ghana and an Expert Interview. The decision to collate and analyze data within this geographic location, which houses the capital city of Ghana, results from the fact that majority of the institutions are headquartered within this geographic enclave and implying that most procurement decisions take place in this region. For instance Ahadzie (2007) avers that more than 60% of registered contractors tend to operate within the Greater Accra region.

Contextually, the research will be confined to sustainable procurement of goods, works and services and investigate how project planning and implementation can include components of CommDev to achieve effectiveness.

1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is an established fact that a substantial proportion of the national budget for a developing country like Ghana is allocated to public procurement. On the average 80% of the national budget in Ghana (outside the government wage bill) goes into the procurement of goods, works and services for the various sectors of the economy. Therefore the effective implementation of a robust sustainable procurement system will go a long way to assist in the management of the economy and improve investor confidence in the country. This assertion is buttressed by the statement by Adjei (2006)7_that sustainability is one of the key avenues for achieving the good governance goal of realizing development through the empowerment of marginalised persons and the sustaining the environment to promote opportunities for employment and other livelihoods.

This study is significant because it will provide policy makers and other stakeholders the requisite information to redesign, communicate, implement and evaluate an effective procurement system that promotes sustainable development of the country.

1.8 ORGANISATION OF THE STUDY

This study will be organized in five Chapters. The Chapter one will comprise the Introduction. The introduction will detail background to the study, the problem statement, the study objectives, research questions, assumption, scope as well as

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Chapter two will discuss the existing literature on sustainable procurement and the conceptual framework on Communication for Development. Chapter three will discuss the details of the methodology to be adopted for the study. The Fourth chapter will provide a presentation and discussion of study’s findings and analysis. The last chapter will then provide a summary of the findings as well as conclusions

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CHAPTER 2 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

Sustainable Procurement has been defined variously, it is a process whereby organisations meet their needs for goods, services, works and utilities in a way that achieves value for money on a whole life basis in terms of generating benefits not only to the organization, but also society and the economy whilst minimizing damage to the environment” (DEFRA 2006, p 10). It can also be defined as the management of sustainable acquisition of goods, works and services to optimize value for money through a professional, auditable and transparent framework Sarpong (2007).

Sustainable procurement is the pursuit of sustainable development objectives (WCED 1987) and seeks to find redress to some of the imbalances in development outcomes. The strategic role of purchasing and supply in meeting social, environmental and economic objectives is gradually gaining grounds in development studies. For instance, linkage between public procurement and social outcomes (McCrudden, 2004) and its corresponding interest in corporate social responsibility and social responsible buying and sourcing as espoused by Drumwright, 1994; and Henkle 2005). Hence, Walker & Phillips (2006) in their research paper on Sustainable Procurement: Emerging Issues presented at the International Public Procurement Conference 21-23 September, 2006 provided profound perspectives on the subject matter by referring to the term -Sustainable Procurement as not just about how to buy but also about how to supply sustainably.

The four primary goals of sustainable procurement are to minimize any negative impacts of goods, works or services across their life cycle and through the supply chains; to minimize demand for resources; to ensure that fair contract prices and terms are applied and respected that meet minimum ethical, human rights and employment standards; and to promote diversity and equality throughout the supply chain (Berry 2011).

A UNDP Policy document on Good Governance and Sustainable Human Development posits that good governance should be to develop capacities that will lead to the realization of development that gives priority to the poor, advances women, sustains the environment and creates needed opportunities for employment and other livelihoods. Therefore, in terms of governance, SPP has also

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been described as a new approach to Good Governance, especially as it is expected to among other things be participatory, transparent, and accountable8_.

Research into Sustainable Procurement also brings into sharp focus other broad thematic areas such as sustainability and innovation; ethical supply and measurement issues (Walker & Phillips 2006). Thus, whatever sustainable procurement initiatives are taken, it is imperative to assess the extent of impact these initiatives are making . For instance, studies are being carried on how to assess the relationship between a firm’s performance and that of its environmental management (Klassen & McLaughlin, 1996; Melnyk, Sroufe & Calantone, 2003) and corporate social responsibility and purchasing social responsibility (Carter, 2005).

Sustainable public procurement on the other hand refers to the act of integrating a concern for broader social and environmental impacts within procurement undertaken by government or public sector bodies (Preuss, 2009). Thus, Public Institutions meet their needs for goods, services and works in a way that achieves value for money on the basis of product life-cycle while minimizing damage to the environment. It gives maximum consideration not only to the initial cost of procuring the goods, works or services but also their environmental, social and economic consequences.

Other areas of sustainable public procurement that has not received much attention though has been with how the benefits of SPP interventions are measured and effectively communicated. In a UNEP’s Baseline Review and Development of a Guidance Framework on Measuring and Communicating Benefits of Sustainable Public Procurement, (UNEP, 2016)9_{, the elusiveness of measuring and} communicating the benefits of SPP projects and the weakness in establishing a links between SPP initiatives and their impact on environmental, social and economic benefits. Simply put, documenting and articulating these benefits still seems to be a challenge although governments all over the world have been developing and implementing sustainable procurement for well over twenty years10_{. The} Baseline Review further indicates that SPP practices will increase if there is a reliable way of

8_{AB Adjei (nd)}

9_{developed by the Working Group 2B of the 10 Year Framework Programme (10YEP) of the SPP Programme led by UNEP}

and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability and the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI) identified

10_{An IISD Report, 2007, reveals that one of the earliest adoptions of national policies on SPP was in Norway in 1993}

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measuring and communicating the sustainable benefits of SPP programmes. Some of the major challenges identified in the effective measurement and communication of benefits of SPP include the sometimes ambiguous nature of the definitions of what is “sustainable”, conflicting goals (such as having products which achieve high environmental performance whiles having higher upfront costs), measuring unintended consequences and other indirect effects coupled by the absence of data and how to avoid undue slants in communicating these benefits of SPP implementation to donors or other stakeholders (Baseline Review Report, 2016).

2.1 Ghana’s Sustainable Public Procurement Issues

Despite global calls for sustainable consumption and production patterns through the deployment of sustainable public procurement initiatives among nations, studies has shown that very few developing countries have adopted government-wide policies on SPP, in their approach to their national procurements (IISD 2007; UNEP & UN nd; United Nations 2008; Ross 2012b).

The Government of Ghana and the Swiss Confederation signed an Agreement on 30th_{August 2010 to} pursue a Support Programme for SPP in Ghana. The Programme is modeled in accordance with the Marrakech Taskforce Approach to SPP.

On the 1st_{of December, 2010, a Ghana Taskforce on the SPP Project was inaugurated to among} others, Provide technical guidance to project stakeholders on issues related to SPP; Review and approve the SPP initiatives; Identify SPP Priority Areas; Provide advice on technical issues related to SPP; and Provide input on enhancing laws and regulations on sustainability issues. Members of the Ghana Taskforce included individuals representing the Private Sector, Civil Society Organisations, Governmental Bodies and other Professional Institutions.

Several awareness seminars and workshops were organized throughout the project implementation period. Some of them included Awareness Programmes, the Working Group Meetings etc.

2.2 Integrating Communicating for Development into Sustainable Public

Procurement (C4D-SPP)

Communication for Development relies on the synergistic use of three strategic components namely –Advocacy, Social Mobilization and Behaviour Change (UNICEF 1999). Advocacy informs and

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motivates leadership to create a supportive environment to achieve programme objectives and development goals; Social Mobilization engages and supports participation of institutions, community networks, social/civic and religious groups to raise demand for or sustain progress towards a development objective; whiles Behaviour Change communication involves face-to-face dialogue with individuals or groups to inform and motivate with the objective to promote and sustain behaviour change11_{. The World Bank’s Development Communication Division has also defined} Development Communications as - “An interdisciplinary field based on empirical research that helps to build consensus while facilitating the sharing of knowledge to achieve positive change in development initiatives. It is not only about effective dissemination of information but also about using empirical research and two-way communication among stakeholders. It is also a key management tool that helps assess socio-political risks and opportunities.

In assessing the level of integration of C4D at the Country, Regional and its Headquarters, a UNICEF (2016)12_{report attest to the rather low level of integration of C4D in meeting programming} requirements. Some of the gaps identified include the absence of a clear vision and strategy for C4D either at the level of the country programme or individual sections; the lack of C4D integration into core planning documents such as the Situational Analysis and an ambiquity in C4D’s position in and contribution to Country Programme Results Framework; and failure to report on C4D in a meaningful way through annual reports and a tendency to list what has been done (C4D activities) rather than what has been achieved (C4D Outcomes).

To structure the analysis, UNICEF C4D has been unpacked into four diamensions whereby it must be integrated into Project Strategy, Planning, Resourcing and Monitoring & Reporting. It has therefore become increasingly clear that C4D must been seen as an enabler for sector results and therefore must have clear and tangible links to the achievement of the results framework in order to make a case for the involvement of C4D in a programme.

11 Writing a communication strategy for development programmes-A guideline for Programme

Managers and Communication Officers (UNICEF Bangladesh, 2008) page 7

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2.3 Evaluating C4D

Considering the fact that this Degree Project will in one way or the other be reviewing the implementation of Ghana’s SPP project and assess the level of involvement of C4D tools to achieve the set objectives and the ultimate behavior change, this part of the literature review will briefly discuss some the works done on Evaluating Communication for development projects and programmes and assist in the development of a conceptual framework that will guide the methodology and make the necessary analysis for effective conclusions to be drawn.

It must however be underscored that the process of evaluating communication outcomes remains relatively underemphasized (OECD 2014)13_{even though it has proven to be an important aspect of} communication for development and perhaps the only way to control our efforts at reaching set goals with scare resources. (Voelker 2007). In view of this, several methods of measurements have been advocated for such as the evidence-oriented evaluation, realistic evaluation and complexity evaluations (da Costa, 2012). Other new approaches include the participatory approaches of which the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC) offers an off-the-shelf solution as well as the Evaluating Communication for Development –A Framework for Social Change (Lennie & Tacchi, 2013) For the purpose of this degree project, the Lennie & Tacchi Model framework will be used as a guide to assess the extent of implementation of the SPP Project in Ghana in terms of the broad components of the framework. Refer to Fig 3 below:

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2.4 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Fig 3-Seven inter-related framework components (Lennie & Tacchi, 2013)

In their quest to develop an effective framework for Monitoring & Evaluating Communications projects, Lennin and Tacchi came up with the following seven (7) parameters as discussed below: Participatory – The concept of participation is fundamental to communication for development, and the participatory approach help to ensure greater utilization of community needs and aspirations. It involves long-term engagement with stakeholders through dialogue and feedback among others. Holistic-This is an approach that must be based on social, cultural, economic, technological, organizational and institutional systems and takes into consideration individual group communicative ecologies. It is expected, that, through the application of this component in project planning, implementation and evaluation there would be improved coordination and collaboration of the various groups of stakeholders.

Complex- In recognition of the fact that social change can be complex and entail processes that can be contradictory and sometimes unpredictable, this component calls for flexibility and creativity in order to achieve set objectives.

Critical-This requires comprehensive efforts at addressing the different dimensions of the particular project. It may include the interests of gender, caste and other relevant differences that have the potential to create inequalities in power and voice among participants.

Realistic- Considering the fact that the execution of projects may come along with unrealistic demands and timeframes, there is the need for impact assessments to be set in local realities and focus on intended & unintended and positive & negative changes.

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Learning-Based- This approach to evaluating projects ensures continuous learning and the sharing of creative ideas required to build learning organizations. The process include regular reflection and meta-evaluation.

Emergent-This recognizes the dynamic nature of communities and local contexts. Thus emergence encourages giving-up control and letting the system to govern itself as much as possible to support the change management process.

It is however useful to clearly indicate that whereas the terms Monitoring is considered as a continuous activity process that takes place throughout a project/strategy life cycle, Evaluations and reviews are conducted within a specific moment in time of a project/strategy such as mid-term to take stock of successes or challenges that confronts implementation.

Some of the common challenges with the conduct of evaluation of the impact of communication efforts identified by Lennie & Tacchi, (2011) include:

• Potential conflicts in attribution;

• Reluctance to commit funds to longitudinal studies to assess lasting and sustainable change; • High cost of such impact assessment studies

Other challenges include the problematic basis for specific change and their indicators for measurement and the often too fluid (intangible) nature of change even when there are achieved (Scheunpflug & McDonnell (2007) and that, other measurement tools like the balanced scorecard tends to be subjective and extremely quantitative (Volker 2007).

Thus, for effective measurement of the impact of communication strategies its important to include an evaluation grid/plan into the strategy from the onset and these set goals must then form the baseline for monitoring performance and ensure the effective of the best approach that will allow the triangulation and testing of the validity of data gathered.

2.5 A RESULTS FRAMEWORK FOR THE SPP PROJECT –(Extract from the SPP

draft policy document) develop on the basis of the UNEP Framework for SPP

implementation. Draft of December2013 – version 14

The implementation of SPP is a step-by-step process that enables procurement entities to make progress over time so that they can embed, practice, enhance and lead on Sustainability

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Procurement. The below table provides indications of how behavioural change can be achieved and measured.

Foundation Embed Practice Enhance Lead People Buy-in of Heads of Institutions. Training of Procurement Staff SPP training has been disseminated to all key staff. Procurement Staff are applying SPP Principles in their daily activities. Each member of procurement staff has objectives and targets. Refresher training is routinely undertaken. Individuals are recognised for their contribution to the delivery of SPP outcomes. Procurement Practitioners demonstrate leadership on SPP and share learning

Policy, Strategy & Communications Head of Entities have adopted the SPP Policy within their organisation SPP Policy is disseminated internally Procurement Entities make use of the policy to inform their procurement actions Procurement Entities have informed their suppliers/Con tractors Procurement Entities have developed their own strategy / action plans Procurement Entities have communicate and shared their SPP Strategy / Action Plan to their stakeholders Procurement Entities have reviewed and enhanced their SPP Policy, Strategy and Action Plan based on feedback from stakeholders

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24 Procurement Process Procurement Entities have considered some sustainability criteria in their procurement activities Procurement Entities familiarise themselves with SPP principles, tools and techniques through training and apply these in procurement Procurement Staff are applying SPP Principles in their daily activities Procurement Entities apply innovative procurement methods to drive sustainable procurement practice Procurement Entities adopt innovative systems and develop new techniques in order to maintain their position as leaders of procurement practice

Engaging Suppliers Procurement

Entities engage with suppliers on SPP Procurement Entities use prioritisation to develop a Market Engagement Strategy Procurement Entities use the Market Engagement Strategy to deliver new and green / sustainable innovative products and services. Procurement Entities report on the results of their engagement with suppliers and on good practices. Procurement Entities disseminate the results of supplier engagement through public / private networks. Measurement and Results Establish baselines for SPP activity Procurement Entities set their own targets for SPP activity. Procurement Entities report on the results of their SPP activity. Procurement Entities improve on the results of their SPP activity. Procurement Entities exceed their performance targets on SPP and share their good practice nationally and internationally.

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As part of the project implementation, a manual to guide the operations of the project, the Ghana SPP Project document also had a Project Communication Strategy. The broad goals of the strategy were to disseminate information and create awareness about Ghana’s public procurement reform to all stakeholders as well as promote the integration of social and environmental factors in public procurement in Ghana; accompany the entire SPP project with ongoing internal and external communication activities; obtain buy-in from policy makers in government and private sector players who supply goods, works and services to public organizations; and develop communication tools to support communication efforts.

Target audience for the communication strategy and plan included the membership of the Ghana Task Force on SPP, Policy Makers, Procurement Practitioners, the Business Community and Trade Associations, Academia, Civil Society Organisations, Development Agencies, Media practitioners and the General Public.

Key messages coined for the communication campaign to maintain consistent communication throughout the project as well as inform, educate and influence behaviour of key stakeholders were also developed.

Monitoring and Evaluation were to be a common feature throughout the project cycle with quarterly reviews to ensure that planned activities achieve the goals and objectives set in this plan. Instruments like interviews, opinion surveys, and questionnaires administered to selected audiences will be used to obtain feedback. Also a quarterly communications review report will provide updates on communication activities (Ghana’s SPP Project Communication Strategy).

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CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.0 INTRODUCTION

This chapter outlines the methodology which was used in carrying out the study. It covers the research design of the study, population and sampling techniques and data collection and methods for analysis.

3.1 RESEARCH SETTING

This assessment of the impact of implementation of Ghana’s Sustainable Public Procurement Project from the perspective of Communication for Development (ComDev) has been limited to a selection of two (2) Heads of Procurement in Offices of Government Agencies of the Republic of Ghana namely: Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Gender & Social Protection representing the Public Sector. The rational for selecting these institutions is simply based on the fact that their operations and policy alignments actually bother around some of the key areas of sustainable public procurement and therefore must be easy to assess the extent to which their procurement activities are geared towards meeting their broad goals of environmental, economic and social considerations.

To provide effective balance to the study in terms of the demand and supply sides of the procurement process, two (2) firms representing the Private Sector operating in the area of delivery of goods, works and services were selected. Additionally, since Civil Society

Organisations (CSOs) have a third-party role to play in ensuring transparency, accountability and value for money for government expenditure, it became necessary to include two (2)

organisations from the Civil Society involved public procurement issues to provide better perspectives to the entire study. Moreover, an Expert Interview was conducted to provide a broader perspective on the implementation of the SPP Project.

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It is however instructive to note that although the selection of a sample size of 7 interviewees may be seen to be rather small, it largely constitutes a microcosm and yet a reasonable size for the conduct of an impact assessement of this nature and their views are expected to be

representative enough of the opinions and perceptions of the larger population of procurement practitioners, contractors, consultants and consultants as well as civil society in the country.

3.2 Profiles of the Selected Institutions

Environmental Protection Agency

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a statutory agency established in 1994 by Act 490 of Parliament to deal with environmental protection, pesticides control and regulation of

environmental issues and its related purposes. The role of the EPA is perhaps more critical than ever, particularly because of the production of oil and gas in Ghana. (David Aduhene Tanoh-

www.reportingoilandgas.com)

Ministry of Gender & Social Protection

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) was created by an Executive Instrument 1 (E.I. 1) in January, 2013 as a successor to the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs. The primary objective for its establishment was to have a Ministry responsible for policy formulation, coordination and monitoring and evaluation of Gender, Children and Social

Protection issues within the context of the national development agenda.

The Ministry is mandated to coordinate and ensure gender equality and equity, promote the survival, social protection and development of children, vulnerable and excluded and persons with disability and integrate fulfillment of their rights, empowerment and full participation into National development. The Objectives of MOGSCP are to promote Gender Mainstreaming and gender responsive budgeting(GRB) in MDAs and MMDAs through capacity building and improve the socio-economic status of the vulnerable and the excluded through targeted interventions among others. (mogcsp.gov.gh)

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28 Berock Ventures Ltd (Construction Firm)

Berock Ventures Limited is a Chartered Building and Civil Engineering wholly owned Ghanaian Limited Liability Construction Company registered in Ghana since 1993.

The company, is committed to improving the quality of life of Ghanaians with the use of appropriate and sustainable infrastructure development solutions delivered in a timely and quality manner.

Berock Ventures Ltd has over the years been commended for the efficient and timely execution of its projects. The company has been successful at winning national and international competitive biddings to undertake major building, water, electrification and civil engineering projects in Ghana. (www.berockventures.com)

Gworld Company Ltd.

Gworld Ghana Limited was established in 2003 and is an indigenous Ghanaian Products and Services Company that specializes in Fire Protection Engineering, HSE (Health, Safety and Environment), Construction Safety, Global Procurement Services, Navigational Aids, Services to the Oil and Gas Sector and Advisory Consultancy Service from end to end process specification through implementation, commissioning, maintenance and working with proven companies all over the world to achieve excellence in our operations.

The company has a network of service engineers, technical experts and facilitators who are trained and certified to deliver a wide range of products and services in Purchasing and Supply, Advisory Consulting, Design, Installation, Maintenance and Servicing. (www.gworldghanaltd.com)

Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC)

The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) is a unique cross-sectoral grouping of public, private and civil society organizations (CSOs) with a focus on promoting good governance and fighting corruption in Ghana. GACC currently has eight institutional membership. Programme Areas include Research & Advocacy, Public Sensitization & Mobilization, Training & Capacity Building, Monitoring & Evaluation and Social Accountability (www.gaccgh.org)

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Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), is the Local Chapter of Transparency International (TI), GII was launched in December 1999 as a non-partisan, non-profit civil empowerment organization focused on the delivery of essential themes necessary for the creation of a National Integrity System. It has a Board of 7 members and a Secretariat supported by 13 full-time staff.

GII’s strategy and all its activities are rooted in its core values. These core values are: Integrity, Transparency, Accountability, Independence, Impartiality, Objectivity and Cooperation.

GII has four main objectives specifically aimed at achieving the vision of a corruption-free Ghana. (www.tighana.org)

3.3 RESEARCH DESIGN

A descriptive cross sectional survey was adopted for the study which entailed the collection of data across the population, which may comprise the whole population or a

proportion (sample) of it (WHO, 2001).

3.4 POPULATION

The population refers to an entire group of individuals, events or objects having a common observable characteristic. The population of this study entails the Heads of procurement/administration units of the selected Institutions and Heads of CSOs and an Expert Interview with a Member of the Ghana Taskforce for SPP who share his thoughts on the implementation of the Project.

3.5 SAMPLE TECHNIQUE & SAMPLE SIZE DETERMINATION

Multi-purpose sampling technique was employed towards this study. The researcher used the purposive sampling technique in selecting only the procurement departments of the State Institutions. In this study, a sample size of 6 people from the selected institutions participated in the study.

These comprised two (2) staff from sectors namely- Public and Private Sectors & CSOs as each of the Ministries, and one (1) from the rest of the firms and CSO identified. In all cases, the most senior staffers within these institutions were engaged as respondents in the study.

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3.6 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION

The study relied on Data sources. The primary sources were the responses to questionnaires after interacting with respondents of the various institutions. The questions included Close-Ended questions ranked on Likert scale rating to allow easy categorization and synthesis as well as Open-Ended questions to solicit the candid opinions of respondents on their different approaches to the whole concept of sustainable public procurement as well as what their perspectives are regarding the impacts so far made in integrating Social, Economic and Environmental factors into the public procurement practice.

The choice of questionnaire was informed by the ability of the respondents to read and write as well as the researcher’s desire to get accurate information without imputing possible personal biases in the case of using interviews.

Other sources of data include information from Tender Documents and other publications on the subject matter of sustainable public procurement and communication for development.

3.7 DATA ANALYSIS

The data collected was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Quantitatively the data was processed using the Microsoft Excel that involved preparation of coding scheme, coding and data entry for effective analysis. Data was presented using charts and bar graphs.

On the other hand, responses from the open ended questions have been categorized and analyized to arrive at effective conclusions.

3.8 LIMITATION OF STUDY

The study was limited by the following factors:

• Respondents were not willing to respond to the questionnaire due to the fact that, they were not gaining any immediate benefit from the study being conducted by the researcher and were wondering to what extent the outcomes of the study can be implemented to cause a positive change;

• Considering the brevity of time allocated to the study, the study did not cover a wide range of stakeholders such as the perspectives of the Ghana’s Development Partners

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such as the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) which actually funded this project and even the Ghana Taskforce on SPP that were expected to drive the implementation process;

•_{Finally, considering the fact that this study of public procurement from the}

perspective of communication for development may seem to a new area of study, the study was limited in terms of sufficient academic reference materials and also required a lot of efforts in analyzing responses in order to achieve accurate conclusions.

Despite these limitations, the researcher put in enough efforts to ensure the reliability and validity of measurement and data collected. Research participants were encouraged to candid in their responses to the questionnaire and interviews.

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CHAPTER 4 ANALYSIS & DISCUSSION

4.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter, details findings from the respondents, their understanding of sustainable procurement as well as the means of integrating economic, environmental and social factors into the procurement system in Ghana. The research questionnaire consisted three (3) broad sections which focused on General Information, Knowledge of Sustainable Public Procurement and An assessment of CommDev approach to Project Implementation and Monitoring & Evaluation.

This limited study, had a total sample size of 6 selected from State Institutions, Private Sector and Civil Society Organizations. Out of the targeted sample, 5 completed questionnaires were received. The breakdown is as follows:

•_{2 from State Institutions} •_{2 from Private Sector} •_{1 Civil Society Organization}

In addition to this an expert interview was conduct to seek the views of the an Energy Efficiency Expert who also served as a member of the Ghana Taskforce for SPP.

4.2 GENERAL INFORMATION

In all, respondents were in top management positions such as Executive Secretaries, Administrators and Heads of Procurement and therefore are involved in providing policy and managerial direction to their respective institutions. In terms of qualifications, a good majority of 5 out of 6 respondents possess a Masters or other forms of Post Graduate Certifications which is an indication of an academically well qualified category of persons and therefore are expected to provide quality assessment of the issues that the study sought to obtain. About 40% of them belonged to various Professional Bodies such as the Institute of Public Relations, Ghana and Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply.

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Additionally, over 70% representing four (4) of the respondents have been serving in their current positions within their organizations for well over five (5) years and therefore can be considered as being at these present posts whiles the SPP Project was being implemented in the Ghana.

4.3 KNOWLEDGE OF SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT

From the survey, all 5 respondents representing 100% of them expressed a good knowledge of the concept of sustainable public procurement as reflected in the graph below (refer to fig. 5)

Fig 5- Respondents’ Awareness of the Implementation of Sustainable Public Procurement in Ghana

However, in assessing the means by which respondents became aware of the SPP project in Ghana, interesting information were obtained. It appears that, Training Programmes organised to create awareness about the concept of SPP in the country had a good impact as a lot of respondents cited it as a means of gaining information about SPP in Ghana. It is also worth noting that, in addition to Training, respondents also mentioned the Media, Public Events such as Conferences and the Internet as some of the other avenues by which information on SPP in Ghana reached them. (refer to fig 6).

One Procurement Officer revealed that “I was only aware of the term “Green Procurement” from my CIPS

Professional courses and not Sustainable Public Procurement, therefore these awareness programmes broadened my understanding and introduced me to other dimensions such as social considerations in

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procurement decision making”.

Fig 6 Means of Awareness of SPP in Ghana

As indicated afore, the nature of involvement in the implementation of the SPP Project among respondents seem to give an indication of how the spread of coverage of the project also was done. This is because, there was about 40% coverage among Procuring Entities and Service Providers respectively and just 20% among Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), perhaps because of the level of attention and emphasis the project sought to give to these institutions, that are perceived to deal with the process of procurement a lot more directly than CSO’s which are normally considered third party in terms of the role they play in calling for more competition and greater transparency in the process.

4.4 ASSESSMENT OF THE EXTENT OF IMPLEMENTATION FROM THE

PERSPECTIVE OF THE LENNIE & TACCHI (2003) SEVEN (7) FRAMEWORK FOR

EVALUATING C4D

Participatory

In seeking the views of respondents on how well the SPP project was participatory/inclusive of stakeholders in the country, various responses were obtained. A majority of 60%, representing 3 of the respondents answered in the negative while only 40% representing 2 of them answered in the affirmative. For those who gave an indication of non-inclusiveness in the project, some further explained that the project should have involved other professionals in the government value chain in order to realize optimum participation.

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Others such as those from the CSOs also took the opportunity to identify some of the lapses in information flow within the Public Service as a reason for the low level of participation among stakeholders. In their view, the non-existence of freedom to information regime in Ghana’s Public Service seem to have accounted for this. They therefore took opportunity of this, to press home their demand for the passage of the long awaited Freedom to Information bill.

The interesting thing about the responses was that, the responses seemed to have come from the perspective of the respondents themselves as beneficiaries of the project and therefore, there could be the likelihood of a very varied response from the actual organisers or project coordinators who for a good reason were exempted from this study in order to avoid undue biases.

Holistic

Another related aspect of the participation of stakeholders in the project was an assessment of the extent to which the implementation of the project was holistic in the sense of wider consultations and engagement. Responses indicated that that project seemed to have focused more on Institutional & Political Leadership as against other stakeholders such as development partners, private sector and the general public. This therefore presents a “top heavy” approach to the implementation of the project instead of a “bottom-up” approach which could have made it a lot more holistic in terms of coverage. (refer to fig 7 below)

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Fig 7 Level of Holistic Approach of the Project

When asked about some of the approaches used by the project to address the three main dimensions of SPP, respondents were largely of the view that with the regular emphasis on the mantra “lowest bidder wins a tender” in public procurement, it is important that the preparation of the tender document is done in a very comprehensive manner to accommodate other requirements in terms of Economy, Social and Environmental sconsiderations for any goods, works or services being procured. This will then ensure that tenders satisfy all these requirements at the stage of evaluating Technical and Commercial responsiveness of submitted tender before financial quotations are considered. In other words, respondents unilaterally agreed that price should not be the ultimate determinant of a winner but rather the strict adherence to the main requirements which constitutes responsiveness.

Complexity

In assessing the extent to which the interests of the multiple stakeholder groups in public procurement in Ghana were addressed, responses captured revealed that, while the Private Sector had the highest score for considering the project to have addressed some of their interests and concerns in terms of heightened competition and fairness in the procurement processes. Heads of Procurements in the Public Sector to a certain extent felt that since the coverage of the project was largely among institutional and political heads especially among the public sector (as mentioned afore) the numerous operational issues bothering procurement were not sufficiently addressed in the course of the implementation of the project and at some point, others choose to remain neutral in their responses.

Similarly, Civil Society on the other hand largely remained neutral in their judgement of how the project implementation tackled the complexities of their concerns especially in the area of entrenching transparency and accountability in the public procurement processes.

Another aspect that this study sought to cover was with respect to the extent to which the SPP Project addressed the national interest of entrenching some of its Local Content Policies such as the use of the Margins of Preference Guidelines and others in the Oil & Gas and Construction Sectors. In the light of this, the results obtained were quiet confusing as the same percentage of respondents (33.30%) agreed, remained Neutral and also Disagreed. This therefore shows some form of misunderstanding of the issues being assessed or that they honestly were not sure how the project addressed these issues. This therefore calls for further studies in ascertaining how best some of the principles and tools of Communication for Development can be applied to enhance better understanding of issues during project implementation or project monitoring & evaluations. (see fig. 8 below)

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Fig 8 Extent to which Local Content Policies were factored in SPP Project Implementation

Critical

Considering the responses discussed above, the study continued to assess some of the bottom-line or critical issues of SPP which is the percentage of tenders won on the grounds of each of the three dimensions of sustainability. Once again, the responses were exciting. In this regard, civil society gave an indication of not being aware of the outcomes of these tenders since information on tender awards are not readily available to them due to the lack of transparency and openness of information from the public sector in developing countries like Ghana.

However, Heads of Procurement who normally have such records were able to provide some reliable statistics that less than 10% of contracts have been won on the grounds of social consideration and less than 30% of contracts won on the grounds of environmental considerations since the implementation of SPP in the country.

Private Sector response to this was however weak as they expressed their inability to know exactly the grounds upon which their tenders are evaluated. This also shows the lack of clarity with respect to areas of emphasis in procurement in Ghana as detailed in the standard Tender Documents. (see figs. 9 & 10 below)

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Fig 9 Tenders won on Social considerations

Fig 10 Tenders won on Environmental considerations

In Fig 11 below, the case of Economic consideration, from the study showed that a good majority of contracts are won on the grounds of economy (lowest price) which has been the traditional stance that guides the outcomes of must tendering processes and therefore calls for the need for extending this to cover other aspects as prescribed by the SPP concept.

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Fig 11 Tenders won on Economic considerations

Once again, the seeming confusion about the level of understanding of local content issues and maybe the extent of clarity of the question is brought to the fore with the kind of responses that were received from the question of how best the issues of local content policies in Ghana were incorporated in institution’s Tender documents as there was a unilaterally affirmative responses. This will need to be further investigated to provided finality and a definite sense of direction in future studies.

Emergent

In analysing how the project sought to attract attention to some of the emergent issues in sustainable consumption and production, all respondents alluded to the fact that the key messages of the project brought to the fore issues such as the need for businesses to intensify their efforts in Corporate Social Responsibility projects in order to earn good scores for being socially accountable and responsible bodies as well as a call for more emphasis on total life cycle costing of goods they are being evaluated during tendering so as to realise the actual value of price and products that are procured by government.

Realistic

In terms of behaviour change, respondents were asked to give some anecdotal examples of how the communication on the implementation of the Sustainable Public Procurement project had brought about some form of behaviour change. Just 20% (refer to fig. 12 ) of respondents representing 1 respondent from the Public Sector was able to give a typical example and therefore alluded to some partial form of behaviour change as a result of sensitization programmes that were going on at the time. According to the respondent, the introduction of SPP one day sparked a debate among officers at a Tender Evaluation Meeting where one group wanted to favour a tender in terms of price whiles the other group at the meeting insisted on recommending the “lowest evaluated responsive tender” especially when the issues of sustainability were clearly addressed in that particular tender as required by the criteria set. At the end of the meeting, those that

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tried to uphold the principles of SPP carried the day. Although this is a laudable example, it seem to represent a very small minority of the people with a lot more people still stark in their “old ways of doing things”.

Fig 12 Behaviour Change among stakeholders

Learning-Based

To ensure that projects and institutions become learning-based, proponents of this model have advocated for the involvement of stakeholders in periodic monitoring and evaluation of implementation to match outcomes against set objectives. It however interesting to note that the SPP project failed to involve its critical stakeholders in its Monitoring activities as only 40%, representing 2 respondents attested to have participated in any form of monitoring conducted by the project see fig. 13 below.

Implementation of Ghana&apos;s Sustainable Public Procurement: A Communication for Development Perspective