Integrated Financial Management Information System And Its Influence On Public Procurement Performance In Kiambu County Government, Kenya

ABSTRACT

The Kenyan government has realized the importance of procurement planning in all public procurement, with all procurement activities being within the approved budgets of the procuring entity, through an annual procurement plan, and all procurements undertaken by an entity to be within the threshold set in the regulations. Procurement should also be handled by different offices in respect to initiation of procurement, processing and receipt of goods and services. There have been numerous attempts to reform and regulate Public Procurement, and this has seen the emergence of legislation such as the Public Procurement and Disposal Act of 2005, which was later revised in 2009 to set up the necessary procedures for acquisition as well as the disposal of unserviceable, obsolete and surplus equipment by government institutions. Previous studies have not addressed Integrated Financial Management Information Systems and its influence on Public Procurement Performance in county governments. The study’s general objective was to investigate the influence of IFMIS on Public Procurement Performance in Kiambu County Government. Specifically, the study was narrowed down to: determine the influence of IFMIS control systems, online tendering, automated planning and automated supplier engagement on public procurement performance in Kiambu County Government. The results also demonstrated the current status of IFMIS and its influence in the County Government of Kiambu. This study was based on Diffusion of Innovation Theory, Information Systems Success Theory, E-technology Perspective Theory and Agency Theory. These theories related well with the study variables. The study also adopted a descriptive research design, where the target population comprised of 100 individuals in top management, departmental staff, and supervisors. A sample of 80 respondents was selected, representing 80% of the population. Statistical software for social sciences SPSS (version 16) was employed in data analysis. Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis. Quantitative data was analysed through the use of descriptive statistics which include: frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations as well as multiple linear regression model. Study findings concluded that IFMIS had a significant relationship with public procurement performance, as demonstrated by the four study variables, since significant relationships were established between IFMIS control systems, online tendering, automated planning, automated supplier engagement on public procurement performance. The study concluded that IFMIS has influence on public procurement performance in Kiambu county government. Changing either IFMIS control systems, online tendering, automated planning and automated supplier engagement would significantly affect public procurement performance. This study recommends that county governments should put policies flexible enough to handle technological changes. Policies to strengthen the IFMIS platform should be put in place to ensure the systems control mechanisms are safeguarded.