Although centralised procurement has dominated in recent years, procurement remains partly decentralised and the mix of possible procurement strategies, centralised and decentralised, can be found in many EU Member States. This hybrid approach can have ambiguous and unclear implications for the efficiency and transparency of the procurement process. The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic study of centralisation and decentralisation in the development of e-procurement in EU countries. The aim is not to establish a perfect balance between the two models, but to determine the harmony of advantages and disadvantages for each type of model and governance structure. The study will integrate qualitative (case study data will also be used) and quantitative approaches (from secondary data). A systematic review of the literature will be conducted to analyse approaches to assessing the impact of e-procurement. This study contributes to the literature in procurement on centralisation and decentralisation issues by appraising the impact of centralised and decentralised e-procurement solutions on transparency and efficiency. The study focuses on EU countries.

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