Examining public sector procurement governance for the road subsector in Uganda: a perspective of Civil Engineers

Abstract

The study focuses on public sector procurement governance in Uganda's road subsector, emphasizing, among others, transparency, equity, and accountability. Grounded in Principal Agent Theory, the research addresses significant governance challenges arising from informational imbalances, risk, and divergent objectives in the procurement relationship. A thorough literature review explores key concepts, theoretical frameworks, trends, implications, and enhancement strategies in public sector procurement governance, including sustainability and e-procurement. Identifying gaps and proposing improvement strategies, the literature review forms the basis for empirical investigations. The research methodology employs a descriptive cross-sectional survey targeting engineers permanently registered with the Engineering Registration Board in Uganda. Emphasizing reliability, validity, and significance, the methodology outlines the approach, population determination, sample size estimation, sampling techniques, data collection methods, data quality control, validity tests, reliability checks, data analysis, and ethical considerations, establishing a robust foundation for empirical research. Chapter Four presents findings from a quantitative survey involving 208 engineers in Uganda's road subsector. Systematically analyzing trends, implications, and enhancement strategies, the chapter provides diverse stakeholder perspectives on three key dimensions of procurement governance. Enriched by demographic analysis, the findings offer a comprehensive understanding of the complexities surrounding procurement governance. Chapter Five synthesizes trends, implications, and strategies in Uganda’s public sector procurement governance. Analyzing stakeholder perspectives on anti-corruption measures, sustainability, value optimization, transparency, fair competition, monitoring and evaluation, public participation, and e-procurement, the chapter outlines contributions, acknowledges limitations, suggests areas for further research, and concludes with actionable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to develop effective governance frameworks in Uganda's road subsector