Behavioural factors affecting compliance in public procurement in Uganda: A case Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).

Abstract

The study analyzed the behavioral factors affecting compliance in Public Procurements in Uganda focusing on Kampala Capital City Authority as a case study. The three objectives that guided the study were: To establish whether lack familiarity with the regulations affects compliance; to investigate how perceived behavioral control affects compliance with PPDA Regulations and to examine the extent to which enforcement and deterrence affects compliance with PPDA Regulations in Local Governments. The study used a cross sectional survey design which involved triangulation of out of one hundred ninety six (196) questionnaires distributed to the respondents, only 192 (one hundred and ninety two) questionnaires were returned. The findings revealed that familiarity with the regulations had a positive correlation with compliance in Public Procurement (r = 0.441** P< 0.01; that there was a positive but not significant relationship between behavioral factors and compliance with procurement regulations at (p<0.01, r = 0.139 and lastly there was a positive and significant effect between enforcement and deterrence of the Procurement Process and compliance with procurement regulations. The results showed that familiarity with procurement regulations is a significant predictor of compliance. Further, it was also found that deterrent measures can affect compliance with procurement regulations. In line with the findings and conclusions derived, the researcher recommended that: practical training of procurement staff be beefed up in order to boost their familiarity with the regulations; take advantage of e-procurement and blacklist contractors who do not meet the expectations of the PPDA act; and give staff incentives to encourage good behavior, while putting in place deterrents to discourage noncompliance.