Public Procurement Governance in Post-Conflict Institutions: Implementation Challenges and Institutional Dynamics at the National Identification Registry of Liberia

This study investigates public procurement governance and implementation challenges at the National Identification Registry (NIR) of Liberia and examines the institutional dynamics shaping procurement practices within a post-conflict administration environment. The novelty of this study lies in its institution-level analysis of procurement governance within a single public agency in Liberia, an area that remains underexplored in existing procurement literature. An exploratory case study was conducted to examine procurement rules and practices in a post-conflict public institution. A total of ten semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with selected personnel at the National Identification Registry in Liberia. The study draws on Institutional Theory to explain how formal procurement rules become embedded in organizational practices, while Principal-Agent Theory is used to analyze delegation, monitoring challenges, and information asymmetry in procurement implementation. The findings show that the National Identification Registry operates under the Public Procurement and Concessions Act (PPCA). However, inconsistencies in the enforcement of procurement procedures, political and administrative interference in the procurement processes, and lack of procurement expertise within the organization, weak monitoring and evaluation of contracts, poor institutional coordination, and reliance on manual procurement systems are among the major challenges affecting the procurement system of the National Identification Registry. The study concludes that procurement challenges in post-conflict institutions stem more from weak institutional enforcement than from deficiencies in legal frameworks. It recommends procurement professionalization and stronger oversight mechanisms to improve accountability. The study also recommends digital procurement systems to improve transparency and accountability.