Track: Masters Thesis Competition

Abstract

The objective of the study is to determine the effect of procurement management on project performance as little research has been conducted on this topic regarding government institutions in Zambia. The researcher determined that Contract management at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development (MIHUD) was not adequate as most of the respondents felt they had adequate training and personnel in contract management despite the project management challenges being faced by the Ministry in Zambia. A quantitative research design was adopted. Primary data was collected using structured self-administered questionnaires on employees involved in the procurement and project management of public infrastructure. The constructs in this study were developed using measurement scales adopted from prior studies. The instrument was evaluated for reliability and validity. Quantitative data weree analyzed to determine any statistical relationships that affect project performance due to procurement.  The coding of data was done for ease of data interpretation. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 20. The result of this study showed that all the procurement management variables for the research have a significant effect on project performance. Procurement planning and bid solicitation had a positive correlation and contract management had a negative correlation based on the study’s findings. Finally, it was recommended to give due attention to all the stages of procurement management and give contract management training to both procurement staff and project managers. The researcher recommends future researchers consider a larger sample size, other variables that are not included in this study, and other government ministries and quasi-government institutions to get more reliable results.

Keywords: Procurement, Project Performance, Public Infrastructure, Bid Solicitation, Contract Management.