Procurement planning and quality of service delivery in the public sector in Uganda:

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of procurement planning on the quality of service delivery in Uganda’s MoES. The study examined the extent to which specification of requirements, supplier selection and procurement budgeting influenced quality of service delivery. A case study design was used where quantitative and qualitative approaches were adopted on a population of 89 subjects consisting of accounting officer, contracts’ committee members, user department heads, heads of units and sections, and PDU staff. The study used purposive and census sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires, interviewing respondents and documentary review approaches. This was analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analyses. The study found a low level of quality of service delivery evident in the low level of tangibility, responsiveness and reliability. Procurement planning was a significant predictor contributing 19.2% to quality of service delivery. The study revealed that specification of requirements had a moderate significant relationship with quality of service delivery and supplier selection had a weak significant relationship with quality of service delivery. The study revealed that the MoES adequately conducted procurement budgets but the funds were not only late, less but also highly unpredictable. Procurement budgeting had a moderate significant relationship with quality of service delivery. The researcher concluded that specification of requirements, supplier selection and procurement budgeting had a significant relationship with quality of service delivery. The researcher recommends that to achieve the desired level of quality of service delivery, the MoES should provide for specification of requirements that adequately provide for duty, task or desired results and also integrate, discover and prequalify new suppliers, visit suppliers facilities to ensure quality. In view of the limited resources, priorities should be clearly set and adhered to in each financial.