Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of procurement practices on the
performance of public organisations in Tanzania. The study operationalized procurement
practices in terms of procurement planning, procurement professionalism and supplier
selection procedures, analyzing its effect on the performance of public organisations. Igunga
District Council was chosen by the researcher as a case study. Because of the explanatory
nature of the research design, it was possible to describe and analyse the variables under
study in great depth, as well as to display their traits and explain their connections without the
use of artificial means. The target population sample consisted of 30 respondents who work
for the Igunga District Council. Questionnaires and interview guide were the main research
tool for this study. Inferential statistics was used to present the study’s quantititave information
in terms of frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation with help of content analysis
for the presentation of qualitative information. The study revealed that; majority of the
respondents agreed that the implementation of procurement planning enhances organizational
performance and it was discovered that a good procurement plan would state the process in
which the organisation will go through to appoint the suppliers contractually. Also, the majority
of respondents firmly concur that choosing an acceptable supplier and conducting research is
necessary before making any procurement decisions in a public institution, all of these
decisions are largely made based on cost, quality, dependability, and punctuality. The study
found that professionalism influences procurement performance in the public sector through
employing skilled procurement personnel, competent procurement professionals and the
implementation of procurement policies introduced by the government. Finally, the study
recommends that all procurement officials with low academic standing should receive extra
encouragement to continue raising their standards and the council should ensure that all
planning related to procurement is involved by all stakeholders like user departments, budget
officers, procurement officers. Also, the study recommends that all suppliers selected to
procure certain goods, works and services at Igunga council be selected based on the criteria
and not otherwise; the aim is to improve organization performance.
