Effects of the elements of public procurement practices on project implementation: a case of Kericho District

Abstract

Project Management is a unique discipline of management science concerned with project development and implementation. The government through various agencies is involved in project management some of which are completed in time at the estimated cost while others delay and even some stall completely as a result of delayed funding or procurement challenges. This research study sought to document the effects of project procurement variables on project implementation in the public sector. The specific objectives of the study were aimed at examining how the following procurement variables; cost estimation, procurement procedures, procurement risks, contract logistics and stakeholder participation affect project implementation. This is because the enactment of the Public Procurement and Disposal Act 2005 introduced new sets of procurement practices aimed at creating efficiency but has had diverse effects on project implementation. However public project still stall or suffer both cost and time overruns. The big question is why is this happening when we have the legal framework? The researcher adopted a descriptive research study methodology thus questionnaires, were be used to collect data. These tools were administered to a sample of 48 respondents from various departments in the 11 public sector-working groups in Kericho District. Secondary data for this study were obtained through literature review with theoretical and empirical review as well as the construction of the conceptual framework. Data analysis was done using SPSS to obtain the required statistics especially measures of central tendency like mean and standard deviation which were then presented using tables and charts. The discussion of the findings in chapter five of report is based on the following objectives of the research effects of; procurement procedures, cost estimation, procurement risks, stakeholder participation and contract logistics on project implementation. Finally the paper ends with a conclusion based on the discussion and recommendations to streamline the procurement process and also for further reading.