An Analysis of E-Procurement Implementation Obstacles in Indian Industries: A DEMATEL Approach

Procurement is a core function in any business. Currently with changing dynamics, e-procurement is shaping up as a new emerging supply chain dimension to gain a competitive edge over the industries. The different e-procurement implementation obstacles have been found after a critical review of the past literatures. The concerned research is addressed to decode the e-procurement obstacles in the Indian context. A robust DEMATEL MCDM technique is employed to explore the obstacles, their importance, and their inherent nature. The results show that policy and regulatory obstacles are the most prominent ones followed by supply chain obstacles and data management obstacles as the top three among the seven decoded obstacles. Further, technical, social cultural, organizational, and sustainability obstacles are “effect” natured which reflects they cannot be resolved directly by attacking them. This research would aid in propelling the e-procurement implementation and act as a sturdy base for other nations new to implementing them.