Determinants of non-compliance in public procurement in Uganda: A case study of Civil Aviation Authority

Abstract

The study examined the determinants of non-compliance in public procurement in Uganda. To explore the effect of professionalism on public procurement, examine the effect of familiarity on public procurement and to assess the effect of organizational culture on public procurement. The study used a case study design and the study focused on Civil Aviation Authority. The population of the study was 90 respondents and the sample size was 73 though the actual respondents were 58. The study used both qualitative and quantitative research approaches for data collection. The study indicated that there is a positive moderate relationship between professionalism and public procurement presented by 0.532. The study indicated that there is a positive relationship between familiarity and public procurement represented by 0.446. The study indicated that there is a positive relationship between organizational culture and public procurement presented by 0.316. The study concludes that the procurement officers have capacity to negotiate contracts since procurement is recognized as a profession. The study concludes that the organization has a budget to cater for continuous training of procurement officers since the organization is an association of a professional body. The study concludes that staffs are well conversant with the legal obligations to follow the procurement regulations. The study concludes that the overall knowledge of procurement rules is low among the procuring officers since there are complaints raised about the tender processes. The study concludes that sometimes public procurement regulations are ignored by the procuring officers. The study concludes that efficient communication increases commitment of procuring officers. The study concludes that organizational culture increases commitment of goals and objectives of public procurement. The study recommends that the findings will facilitate future researchers who choose to conduct empirical studies on public procurement compliance in Uganda and other geographical contexts. This will also be of significant benefit to policy makers in understanding how to improve public procurement compliance and reduce the negative consequences of non-compliance. By enhancing compliance, vast resources usually lost through non- compliance and corruption in public procurement will be saved. This study also revealed that public procurement rule compliance generates a mixture of both negative and positive consequences. The study may guide management and policy makers in ensuring compliance in public procurement while minimizing its negative consequences such as slow service delivery due to bureaucratic delays, low employee motivation due to deprived discretion imposed by procurement rules and cognitive dissonance emanating from forced compliance.