Issues in the development of e-marketplaces: A public sector perspective

The procurement environment is becoming more complex for practitioners with new e-marketplace developments. This paper explains the issues related to procurement decisions and benefits evaluation with a focus on the Government sector The evaluation of benefits literature in information systems needs updating as most of the models proposed were designed for systems that had an internal focus. A case study of the adoption and use of an E-marketplace (GEM) in a Government Department illustrates the specific peculiarities and constraints on public sector e-marketplaces. The paper provides an evaluation framework that can be used by public sector organisations when examining the adoption and evaluation of e-marketplace procurement that emphasises the experimental nature of many e-commerce related projects. The paper contributes to the "evaluation of benefits" literature by identifying the importance of community impact as a dimension missing from current frameworks.