DETERMINANTS OF SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT AMONG PUBLIC MIDDLE LEVEL COLLEGES IN NAKURU COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

The Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act of 2015 and the Procurement Regulations of 2006 introduced
new standards for public procurement in Kenya. Kenya as one of the developing countries has been slow in
taking up structured and policy driven approach to enhancing adoption of green procurement the benefits
accruing notwithstanding. The objective of the study was to evaluate the determinants of sustainable
procurement among public middle level colleges in Nakuru County, Kenya. The study was guided by the
following specific objectives: To determine influence of Supplier engagement on sustainable procurement
among public middle level colleges in Nakuru County, To assess the influence of risks mitigation practices on
sustainable procurement among public middle level colleges in Nakuru County and to analyze effect of
information and Communication Technology utilization on sustainable procurement among public middle level
colleges in Nakuru County. The study has reviewed related to the study such as Stakeholder Theory (ST) and the
resource-based view (RBV) theory. The study adopted survey research design. The study targeted all
departmental heads and senior Managers within public middle level colleges in Nakuru County and whereby a
target of 69 respondents were used for the study using census approach. A closed ended questionnaire was used
to collect data and whereby the instruments were pilot-tested to ascertain its validity. Cronbach alpha (α) was
used to measure the reliability of the instrument. Variables that returned alpha value of at least equal to 0.7 was
considered reliable. After data collection, analysis was done using frequencies, means and standard deviations
for descriptive statistics. Multiple regression was used for inferential statistics in order to establish the
relationship between supplier engagement, risk mitigation, and ICT and sustainable procurement. The study
found out that there is statistically significant influence of supplier engagement, risk mitigation practices and
ICT adoption of sustainable procurement among public middle-level colleges in Nakuru County, Kenya. This
study recommends public middle-level colleges to effectively manage their customer relations and to embrace
communication strategy that allows their stakeholders to receive messages in a timely manner. This will help the
public middle-level colleges to gain a competitive advantage over competitors and improve new product
performance. The study also recommends public middle-level colleges to map various risks associated with
various stages of the procurement cycle and to do supplier market analysis. This would help in anticipating
commodity price evolution and predicting potential supply shortages. The study further recommends public
middle-level colleges to embrace Information and Communication Technology in the procurement process, which
will help in reducing costs of the procurement process. The study finding may inform policymakers on how
to develop policies geared towards sustainable procurement. The researcher suggests a further study on the
role of stakeholders in mitigating risks in the procurement process.