Factors influencing management of procurement records in Tanzania: A survey of selected procuring entities / Bakari Maligwa Mohamed

A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for award of the degree of doctor of philosophy of Mzumbe University

Thesis (PhD).- Mzumbe University, 2019

Includes references 189-209

This study is about factors influencing management of procurement records in the Tanzania procuring entities. The study assessed the factors influencing management of procurement records. Specifically, the study examined capacity of personnel involved in managing procurement records, determined storage space, equipment and facilities in managing procurement records, and examined security and safety measures in managing procurement records in Tanzania procuring entities. The study used mixed research design. In the first place, exploratory case study was conducted in Dar es Salaam whereby fifteen procuring entities were studied. In the survey study, data were collected through a questionnaire survey involving 108 procuring entities. Questionnaire response rate was 75 per cent. Being motivated by institutional theory, resource based theory and theory of constraints; qualitative data were analysed thematically by using themes and narratives. Quantitative data were analysed through a logistic regression model in which marginal effects were determined to enable assessment of the influencing factors. The findings indicate that management of procurement records in Tanzania is influenced by the capacity of personnel, storage space, equipment and facilities, and security and safety measures. The findings make the following key contributions to knowledge. First, the findings reveal that procurement records are managed by personnel who are incapable in terms of knowledge, skills, competences and professional ethics. When these institutional resource constraints are not addressed; recurrence of the weaknesses found in the Tanzania procurement recordkeeping systems may persist. Second, the findings unveil the inadequacy of storage space, equipment and facilities for procurement recordkeeping systems. That is, most of procuring entities in Tanzania are constrained by inadequate storage space, equipment and facilities that render procurement recordkeeping systems to poorly perform their obligations. Third, the study provides empirical findings that security and safety measures in managing procurement records is a critical factor in ensuring that procurement records are available, complete, and authentic as when required for procurement decision making, providing procurement business transactional evidences, and for audit purposes. Lastly, the findings have recorded and documented the applicability and limitations of previous studies to the management of procurement records in Tanzania procuring entities.

eng.