WKU News

Dr. Timothy Hawkins, assistant professor of marketing in the WKU Gordon Ford College of Business, has been awarded a $109,000 grant from the Naval Postgraduate School’s Acquisition Research Program to study the effectiveness of supplier performance evaluation (SPE) processes in government.

Hawkins hopes to determine whether previously collected information about a supplier’s performance affects future outcomes such as quality of service, performance, and the quality of the relationship between buyers and suppliers.  He also intends to explore why SPE processes are, or are not, effective. 

“The question is, does the information collected motivate proper performance from the supplier and help buyers mitigate the risk of selecting an incapable supplier?” Hawkins said. “Can we uncover the variables that determine the efficacy of supplier performance evaluation?”

Those variables will be determined through survey-based data collection and personal interviews that will take place over the next year. Hawkins said he hopes these research instruments will help him determine whether current SPEs are effective and accurate, and the consequences that can occur if they are not.

Hawkins will present his findings at the Acquisition Research Symposium next summer, where a host of officials from government, academia, and industry will gather to shape future research in the area of government acquisition.

“The Gordon Ford College of Business has a long and distinguished history of excellence in applied business education accomplished by world-class faculty members. The recent grant awarded to Dr. Hawkins is clear evidence of the value placed on his applied research,” said Dean Jeff Katz. “We are proud to have Dr. Hawkins’ work recognized by a highly competitive grant that will extend his cutting-edge research to business practice.”

For more information, contact: Dr. Tim Hawkins, 270.745.2412, timothy.hawkins@wku.edu

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