Abstract:
E-procurement and Blockchain are relatively new technologies that have the potential
to provide a variety of benefits due to their unique features such as transparency,
decentralized approach, immutability, and consensus. The Sri Lankan construction
industry is corrupted and that drives up construction costs, which are then passed on to
the general public. Procurement plays a major role in construction projects as it is the
basis of any transaction. E-Procurement is one of the recent technologies used by
modern businesses to save time, money, and effort. Therefore, the current research aims
to investigate the adaptability of e-procurement using Blockchain technology in the Sri
Lankan construction industry. A mixed research approach was adopted including a
questionnaire survey and semi-structured interview. A total of 55 questionnaires were
distributed among experienced professionals, and 37 responses were received. The data
collected from the questionnaire survey were analysed using Relative Important Index
(RII) and Gap analysis. For the interview, total of 5 professionals who have experience
in procurement and tender management were drawn through the snowball sampling
technique to identify the strategies for the adoption of Blockchain based E-procurement.
The survey found that there is a gap between the desirability and readiness for
Blockchain adoption. In addition, the eight important drivers and barriers to the
adoption have been identified. As a result, from an organizational and governmental
perspective, measures must be designed and implemented to overcome barriers and
enhance readiness levels, so closing the gap between desirability and readiness. Finally,
based on the findings, strategies for improving the readiness of Blockchain-based EProcurement
practices in the Sri Lankan construction industry were identified
