Role of procurement stakeholders in effective contracts management in Uganda: A case of Jinja District Local Government

Abstract

A well-functioning Public Procurement system represents a fundamental prerequisite for spending development funds from both national and donor sources in the most effective way. This study, therefore, aimed at investigating the relationship between value for money audits and Public procurement performance in the Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda. Specifically, the study objectives were: To assess the relationship between quality of goods, works and services and public procurement performance in the Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda; to establish the relationship between cost and public procurement performance in the Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda and; to establish how timeliness influences the performance of public procurement in the Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda. This study adopted a cross-sectional design, using questionnaires and interview guides to observe a sample of 182 respondents. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square techniques. The findings revealed that there is a positive relationship between VFMAs and the performance of public procurement in the MOES, with timeliness registering the strongest correlation with public procurement performance in MOES. The researcher concluded that: the tender committee plays a vital role in ensuring delivery of quality goods and services and therefore needs to be carefully constituted; failure to conduct effective costing can amount to losses, while delays in release of funds tend to affect the entire process. It was therefore recommended that: management should always carefully constitute the tender committees with people of high integrity; there is need to conduct market surveys to avoid overpayment to contractors and finally, MOFED should ensure timely release of funds to enable timely procurement processes.