TRANSACTION COSTS IN PUBLIC PURCHASES

The main objective of this article is to understand how the transaction costs of public purchases made by the Regional Office of the Brazilian Postal and Telegraph Company in Santa Catarina (ECT/SC) are given. For that, a qualitative case study was carried out, with data collected locally, as well as in websites, scientific articles and books, which were submitted to documentary analysis. In addition, participant observation was performed. In relation to the results, we observed the presence of the specificity of assets based on locational, human and brand, associated to low frequency and high political, economic and competitive uncertainties. In this sense, the limited rationality was evidenced, in the definition of the products to be acquired and in the prices practiced in the transactions. It was also observed the existence of opportunistic behavior in the attendance of the technical specificities, the capacity of supply and the definition of the prices of the products.