DIGITAL PROCUREMENT GOVERNANCE AND LOCAL SUPPLIER INTEGRATION: A TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR SAUDI ARABIAS URBAN DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

Saudi Arabia's urban development programme provides a significant test of whether digital procurement can genuinely advance the participation of domestic suppliers whilst still maintaining commercial rigour. There is a considerable body of literature that looks at construction supply chain integration, e-procurement, digital project records and public procurement accountability but very little that actually explains how these various strands should be governed in conjunction. This critical integrative review draws on thirty DOI identifiable publications from 2020 to 2025 to develop a technology-enabled governance framework appropriate to the context of complex urban projects. It makes a clear distinction between the efficiency of digital transactions and the more fundamental institutional challenge of making domestic suppliers discoverable,qualified,contractually protected and capable of being re-engaged. Four interlocking mechanisms are identified:transparent opportunity allocation, interoperable procurement information,proportionate supplier development and verified performance feedback. The efficacy of these mechanisms is predicated on accountable data stewardship, contestable decisions, commercially reasonable terms and clear safeguards against tokenism. The proposed framework connects the signals of project demand to supplier onboarding, tender evaluation, contract execution and post-award learning via a common evidence architecture. It also specifies the metrics by which participation, delivery reliability, payment timeliness and the growth of domestic capability can be measured. This is a conceptual contribution rather than a causal one: the evidence from a range of different jurisdictions supports the individual mechanisms, but the actual performance of the suite of mechanisms in the context of Saudi urban development will still require a long-term evaluation. The review concludes that digital procurement can only become a development tool when the governance design links the auditable decisions of the project with the actual upgrading of the supplier.