SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND PERFORMANCE OF PROCUREMENT IN COUNTY GOVERNMENTS IN WESTERN REGION, KENYA

Abstract

The goal of the study was to ascertain how supply chain management techniques affected the way the county governments in Kenya's Western Region performed their procurement duties. The study's specific goals were to ascertain the impact of lean supply chain practices (LSCP) on procurement functions in the county governments of Western Region, Kenya; find out how supply chain collaboration practices (SCCP) and supply chain integration (SCI) affect procurement function performance; and investigate the impact of supply chain risk management (SCRM) practices on procurement functions. Collaborative networks theory serves as the study's auxiliary theory, while systems theory serves as its primary theoretical foundation. A descriptive research design was employed in the study. The four counties in Kenya's Western Region served as the study's locations. The county governments of Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, and Vihiga were among them. In this study, 215 county officials from Kenya's Western Region made up the population. The study sampled 168 supply chain workers, procurement officers, and finance officers using a stratified simple random sample. The primary tool for gathering data was a questionnaire. In the county of Trans Nzoia, a pilot study was conducted. According to the study, procurement performance in the county governments of Kenya's Western Region was significantly impacted by supply chain collaboration methods (R2=0.460, P=0.000; P<0.05). Procurement performance was significantly impacted by supply chain integration (R2=0.324, P=0.000; P<0.05). Procurement performance was significantly impacted by supply chain risk management strategies (R2=0.467, P=0.000; P<0.05).The procurement performance of the county governments in Kenya's Western Region was significantly impacted by lean supply chain techniques (R2=0.165, P=0.000; P<0.05). To guarantee that there are supplier-company cooperation, the study suggests adopting common goals with suppliers that are free from bias. To create a transparent procurement base, customers should be integral to the procurement process. Risky procurement methods should be avoided by the county governments. The county governments should make sure that all actions are tracked and prevent waste in procurement. In this instance, lean supply management solutions would include zero inventory techniques. Policymakers would be able to understand the critical impact that procurement practices play in relation to procurement performance according to the study. The findings of the study may also enable the management of various government organisations, including county governments, to identify the essential factors that need to be considered in supply chain management to optimise the use of public funds and resources.