Influence of Procurement Plan on the Effectiveness of Procurement Process among Public Universities in Eastern Region, Kenya

Abstract

The study sought to determine the influence of procurement plan on the effectiveness of procurement process of public universities in Eastern region, Kenya. The study employed a descriptive research design with a study population of 94 departmental heads of the user departments in 5 Public Universities in the Eastern Region of Kenya. A census was conducted on all the 94 departmental heads under consideration, and primary data was obtained. Out of the 94 targeted, the study managed to obtain only 91, giving a response rate of 97%. Linear regression model was employed to bring out the effect of procurement plan on the effectiveness of the procurement process of public universities in Eastern region, Kenya. Chi-square analysis test statistics implied a significant association between procurement plan and the procurement process .The significance of independent variable was tested using t- test. The results obtained a p value of 0.000 and coefficient of 0.285 implying a statistically significant positive effect of procurement plan and effectiveness of the procurement process. The study concluded that public universities should encourage user departments to actively participate in procurement plan since it impacted positively on the effectiveness of the procurement process of public universities in Eastern region. The study recommends that universities should involve user departments in the preparation of procurement plan to enhance effectiveness of procurement process. The study will form a basis of policy formulation on procurement matters and provide a basis for further research in the field. The study findings will be useful to procurement policy makers in streamlining public procurement practices. The findings will also be of great importance to procurement professionals while making procurement decisions for user departments’ requirements. Academicians and researchers will also benefit by adding new insights into the existing body of knowledge on procurement practices.