Contribution of Procurement Function on the Public Services Delivery System: The Case of Tanzania

Abstract

Procurement function is a facilitator and enabler of every value chain. This paper is a result of a study on the contribution of procurement function on the public services delivery systems and on the national socio-economic development. Specific foci were on: assessing the contribution of procurement function on the public services delivery systems; and assessing the contribution of procurement function on the attainment of the objectives of the national socio-economic development. The study used a survey of value-laden opinions. Localities surveyed were deliberately selected and sampled. The study covered one metropolis and business city (Dar es Salaam), three regional administrative cities (Arusha, Mbeya and Mwanza), one central government municipal (Dodoma), and one local municipal council (Morogoro). A deliberate sample of 150 case respondents was envisaged. However, the study covered 129 case respondents. Data management and analysis were qualitative in which thematic analysis, documentary reviews and content analysis were applied upon the specific study objectives. This paper provides value-laden opinions generated out of the case respondents’ perceptions on the specific themes and issues related thereto. The results of assessment show a significant contribution of the procurement function on the Tanzania public services delivery systems and on the national socio-economic development agenda. The assessments show a positive marginal contribution of the procurement functional performance on the national economic development agenda by more than 70%.