The Role of Planning and Staff Competency on Procurement Performance in Public Institutions in Ghana: A Case Study of Bui Power Authority

Abstract

The study was conducted to examine the role of procurement planning and staff competency on procurement performance in public institutions in Ghana. The research was conducted at the Bui Power Authority which is a public institution established by an Act of the Parliament of Ghana, BPA Act, 2007 (Act 740). The research adopted the mixed method approach and a purposive sampling to sample twenty-three (23) executives, heads and officers to respond to questionnaires to the case study organisation. Data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Service Solutions (SPSS).Findings suggests that procurement planning and staff competency positively affect the performance of procurement. Both independent variables were found to be statistically significant. It was found that wastages and damages of procured items were minimal and that procurements did not exceed the allocated budget due to proper planning. However, inventory management and delay in procured items were areas that Bui Power Authority performed poorly in. Planning played a role in procurement performance and Bui Power Authority not only had a procurement plan but the procurement plan was developed with user departments and based on approved budgets. Procurement staff had the required competencies: skills and training to perform the procurement functions and having these skilled ensured the promotion of procurement performance.  The independent variables were found to have strong relationship on the dependent variable. However, Staff competency was found to have a stronger impact on procurement performance than procurement planning. In addressing the concerns of the findings, some recommendations are outlined: continuous improvement on the capacity of procurement officials, proper planning techniques, and future research should include other variables such as allocation and contract management to evaluate how they affect procurement performance in the public sector.