Information Management in public procurement planning: A study on the information flows of requesting units at UFRN
Information Management; Procurement Planning; Information Flows; Public Procurement; Annual Procurement Plan.
This study aimed to propose a Digital Information Guide grounded in Information Management (IM) to support requesting units at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) in preparing requisitions for the Annual Procurement Plan (Plano de Contratações Anual – PCA), thereby improving the quality of recorded information and enhancing institutional planning. This is an applied study with a qualitative approach supported by descriptive quantitative procedures, characterized as a case study with descriptive and documentary research. The corpus consisted of the PCA 2026 Collection Schedule and 58 procurement planning requisitions returned during the 2025 demand collection period. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis, based on an integrated synthesis of Information Management models. The results revealed recurring inconsistencies related to incorrect material classification, noncompliance with the institutional collection schedule criteria, and inaccurate quantity estimates, compromising information quality and the consolidation of institutional planning. The analysis showed that these weaknesses were concentrated mainly in the stages of identifying information needs, information acquisition, organization, and recording, making it possible to determine where problems originated within the information flow. Based on these findings, a Digital Information Guide was developed, structured according to the 5W2H framework and aligned with the stages of Information Management, providing practical guidance and a checklist to support the correct completion of procurement requisitions. The product was validated by eleven institutional staff members involved in procurement planning, achieving a high level of agreement regarding its clarity, applicability, and potential to reduce errors and administrative rework. It is concluded that the guide contributes to improving information flows, strengthening the consolidation of the Annual Procurement Plan, and expanding the application of Information Management to administrative processes in public administration.