IT procurement in Government

We have seen that most of the IT related procurement exercises in developing countries have been only moderately successful. This has been evident in the defence procurements as well. The level of sophistication of the equipment is directly proportional to the level of difficulty encountered in the procurement process. What is the reason for this ? Is it that the bureaucracy in developing countries is wary of engaging professional assistance ? Or is it the mere fact that technology overwhelms most of us, and decision makers are not necessarily theoretical economists, always capable of making rational choices? India has been a major case in point. Almost all deals for procurement of sophisticated defense machinery have had their rough patches. Telcos under government have been facing rough weather in this regard as well. So what is that makes IT procurement so very different from any other procurement