Despite its importance, public procurement remains poorly understood and understudied around the world. This is partly due to the practical complexity of managing government contracts. In addition, there are few people with the requisite combination of theoretical, academic, and practical knowledge of public procurement. This chapter introduces the importance of public procurement, highlighting its impacts and processes used around the world. Then, the chapter describes the remainder of the book, providing brief summaries of all following chapters. Summarizing the importance of both the practice and study of public procurement, the chapter motivates the remainder of the textbook, which is designed to help instructors and learners deepen their understanding of the theory, process, and practice of public procurement.
