Procurement management and service delivery in local governments of Uganda: A case study of Mbarara District

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of procurement management practices on service delivery in Mbarara District Local Government. The following objectives guided the study: assessing how procurement planning affects service delivery in Mbarara district local government, finding out how procurement organization contributes to service delivery in Mbarara district local government, establishing the relationship between contract management and effective service delivery in Mbarara district local government and finding out the moderator effect of the procurement legal framework on the relationship between procurement management and service delivery in Mbarara district local government. The study was carried out using a case study design adopting both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The target sample was 223 but the response was 154, a response rate of 69%. The subjects were selected by simple random sampling and purposive sampling. Both univariate statistical analysis consisting of frequencies and percentages and bivariate statistical analyses consisting of Pearson correlation, coefficient of determination and partial correlation were conducted to analyze quantitative data. Content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The study established a weak positive effect of procurement planning on service delivery. There was a moderate positive effect of procurement organization on service delivery. Furthermore, there was a weak positive effect of contract management on service delivery. Lastly, the procurement legal framework had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between procurement management and service delivery. It was concluded that procurement planning, procurement organization and contract management positively affected service delivery in Mbarara District. The study recommended that further improvement in procurement planning, procurement organization and contract management should be undertaken to ensure better service delivery in local governments in Uganda.