Evaluation of Factors Affecting Procurement Performance: A Case Study of Dairy Development Authority.

Abstract

KIRYEWALA MARTHA STACEY (2012 – M102 – 20090) Evaluation of Factors Affecting Procurement Performance: A Case Study of Dairy Development Authority. The study assessed the factors affecting procurement performance of public sector organisations- a case study of Dairy Development Authority (DDA). The specific objectives guiding the study involved finding out how procurement planning, Information Communication Technology (ICT) adoption and contract management affect procurement performance at DDA. Over the years the procurement function has undergone marked changes which made it necessary to identify and develop competencies of procurement officers as they rose through roles. However, in Uganda the competency profile of procurement officers has been described as being too narrow and excluding potentially good performers. As a result, this leaves the practice in a more or less non-forward progressive situation on what should be done to improve procurement performance. The study employed a case study research design where both the quantitative and qualitative approaches were used in collecting and analysing data. The data collected from the field was coded and entered into the computer for analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to establish comparisons as well as conclusions for the study. The study findings showed that there was a strong correlation between: procurement planning(r=0.880); ICT(r=0.810); contract management (0.991) and procurement performance. From the findings above DDA should put in place a formalised system for adjustments made during the scheduling of the activities and a standard procurement plan template to enable timely submission of user departments‟ procurement plan onto constituting an effective procurement and suppliers‟ database. DDA should further invest into electronic procurement software that can be linked with the existing financial software. This will enable the organisation to critically monitor the progress on all procurement activities , highlight potential bottlenecks that may result from delayed initiation of any planned procurement activities. Key Words: Procurement Performance, Dairy Development Authority.