The Effect of Procurement Management on Project Performance: A Case of the Uganda Millennium Science Initiative Project.

Abstract

Project management has become increasingly important in the development of any nation. Various organizations have used project management techniques as a means of bridging the gap between failure and success in implementation of projects. Despite this increasing awareness of project management by organizations, projects still fail. It is these shortfalls that motivated the researcher to study the effects of procurement management on project performance. The researcher specifically assessed three key variables in procurement management including; Procurement planning, solicitation of bids and contract management. The target sample for the study was 108 but the response was 57 (a response rate of 53%). The subjects were selected by simple random sampling and purposive sampling. Frequencies, percentages, spearman rank order correlation, regression and ANOVA were conducted to analyze quantitative data. Content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The study employed a cross- sectional study design, using a structured questionnaire and interview guide to obtain primary data and documentary review for secondary data. The results indicate that the variables defining procurement planning (r = 0.349, N=57, p= .008), solicitation (r = 0.273, N=57, p= .040), and contract management (r = 0.077, N=57, p= .005) had a significant effect on project performance. The study therefore, recommends that there should be decentralisation of project procurements in order to reduce the burden of procurements on the central procurement and disposal unit, ensuring integrity and transparency of the procurement and disposable unit by curtailing corruption and adherence to the delivery of the agreed quantity and quality of goods and services on time in order to have ssuccessful contract management which is dependent upon what happens during the planning, tendering, evaluation and award phases.