Abstract:
This study assessed the adoption of e-procurement for the purchase of common use items in
Government Procurement Services Agency (GPSA) in the Arusha region. This study employed the
descriptive survey research design. The mixed research approach (both quantitative and
qualitative) was used in this study. The study used a sample size of 89 suppliers. Data were
collected using questionnaires and interviews. The researcher employed both descriptive statistics
and regression analysis. Findings revealed that e-procurement adoption can guarantee a lot of
benefits depending on the nature of the organization using it. On the supply side, it was found that the
suppliers perceive to benefits more through improved information flow and better information
management, obtain more business opportunities due to increase in transparency, lower the
transaction costs, facilitate faster and accurate order processing, reduce human effort and
improve process efficiency. the study concluded that barriers for e-procurement were the
readiness of government suppliers to adopt e-procurement was found to be low due to limited
financial and human resources, insufficient IT infrastructure with no reliable internet connection,
the e-procurement adoption process is not supported by relevant stakeholders and staff lack
technical expertise and skills to adopt e-procurement. It is recommended that adequate finance
must be made available in organizations that wish to implement e-procurement since lack of
finance was identified in the study as one of the barriers to the implementation of e-procurement.
Also, the government must provide adequate resources to support entities implementing the e-procurement system, institutions must develop and maintain a good IT structure to satisfy
employees’ needs.
