Advances in electronic procurement for the construction industry

This chapter traces e-procurement from its inception to its current status. It provides the background to its development, definition and description as to what it is and why it is needed. It focuses on e-procurement in the construction industry and indicates all of the stages it impacts on during the procurement process. It shows how to complete electronic advertisements for European Contracts and traces the main tendering process electronically and indicates how electronic awarding can take place. It also reviews the use of electronic auctions in construction before indicating the impact that e-procurement has had on the timelines used in the tender process. It concludes that at all stages electronic procurement has had a positive impact on the construction procurement process.