Drivers and differentiators: a grounded theory study of procurement in public and private organizations

Dolores Kuchina-Musina is a doctoral candidate in the School of Public Service at Old Dominion University. She is a Contracts Manager at Acumen Solutions, Inc. in McLean, Virginia. Prior to that, she was employed as Contract Administrator at Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding Division (HII-NNS), Newport News, VA. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Old Dominion University, and a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from Christopher Newport University. Her research interests include federal procurement reform, innovation policy and decision-making models. She is an active member of the National Contract Managers Association (NCMA), Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) and National Institute of Government Purchasing (NIGP).

Dr John Charles Morris is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama. Dr Morris’ teaching and research interests include public-private partnerships, collaboration, governance and environmental policy. Prior to joining the faculty at Auburn, Dr Morris taught at Old Dominion University and Mississippi State University. Dr Morris has published eight books and more than 100 journal articles, book chapters and reports. His work has appeared in journals such as Public Administration Review, the Journal of Politics, Voluntas, Publius, Policy Studies Journal, the Journal of Public Procurement, Public Works Management and Policy and Public Performance and Management Review.

Dr Joshua Steinfeld is the Director of the Graduate Certificate in Public Procurement and Contract Management at the Strome College of Business and an Assistant Professor at the School of Public Service at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Dr Steinfeld’s teaching and research specializes in defense acquisition; federal, state and local government contracting; professionalism; and public-private partnerships. Dr Steinfeld teaches cohorts to educate executives from the Navy and Army through completion of a course on government procurement and contracting. Prior to joining ODU, Dr Steinfeld taught at University of Central Florida and Florida Atlantic University, where he received his PhD. His other education was completed at Boston University (BS Business Administration), University of Denver (MPS Leadership) and Johns Hopkins University (MS Finance). Dr Steinfeld’s favorite part of the job is teaching and supporting students to pursue their career endeavors.