Supply chain relationship management practices and sustainable performance of public procurement in Lake Region economic block, Kenya

Abstract

The study sought to establish the effects of supply chain relationship management practices on sustainable public procurement in Kenya. Descriptive research design was adopted by the study. The Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB) that covers 11 counties was used as the focus area of the study. County departments, National government departments and agencies were the targets of the study. A total of 290 officers who are in charge of evaluation of bids, contract administration and users were selected for the sample frame. Different departments of County executives, County assemblies, National government departments and agencies with a population of 1,118 officers were targeted. The researcher therefore distributed 290 questionnaires. Out of 290 questionnaires distributed, 278 were completely filled and returned to the researcher, this gave a response rate of 95.9%. This response rate was found to be within the acceptable limits for further analysis and reporting. The study adopted descriptive design where descriptive statistics were developed to facilitate the generation of inferential statistics by use of both univariate and multi-vicariate analysis. The study found that supply chain relationship management is statistically significant in explaining sustainable public procurement in Kenya. The influence was found to be positive. This means that unit improvement in supply chain relationship management would lead to an increase in sustainable performance of public procurement in LREB, Kenya. To improve supply chain relationship management in the context of sustainable public procurement, it is crucial to promote collaboration and communication among various stakeholders. Government agencies, suppliers, and other relevant parties should establish clear channels of communication and collaboration mechanisms