Procurement planning and performance of the procurement and disposal unit at Uganda prisons service

Abstract

This study examined on the relationship between Procurement Planning and Performance of Public institutions a case of Uganda Prisons Service. The study was initiated as a result of increased spending beyond budget, increased number of compliant from different user departments and late delivery of goods and services. Specifically, the study objectives centered on; establishing the relationship between the three constructs of procurement planning which are need identification, procurement funding, selecting procurement methods and performance of PDU within Uganda Prisons Service. Data was collected from a sample of 109 staffs of Uganda Prisons Service from different departments, using questionnaires and interview guides. Results showed a positive relationship between procurement needs identification and PDU performance, The practice of identifying appropriate method of procurement had a moderate positive relationship with performance of PDU in UPS, while there was a weak relationship between funding and performance of PDU in Uganda Prisons Services. The lessons from the study according to the three adopted stages of procurement planning need identification, funding and selecting method of procurement, were that in Uganda prisons services it was established that although it was known by those in procurement unit that need identification was a key activity in procurement planning, the practice did not suggest it a key factor. The effect of not envisioning need identification activity as a strategic one results into a number of issues that relate with the budget/cost, timeliness of deliveries and increased number of complaints in the entity. Basing on the above, the researcher recommended that management of Prisons service should allocate more time to the activities concerned with identifying procurement needs in the entire entity if they are to minimize cases of overspending on the procurement budget, number of complaints and timeliness of deliveries.