Public Procurement Skills Requirement Framework For Local Government Systems In Uganda: Perceptions From Professionals

Abstract

This paper examines the skills required by public procurement professionals in a local government context in Uganda. The changing local government context has significant implications on the ideal skills required by procurement professionals. The objectives of the study were to assess the strategic, tactical, and operational skills required by procurement professionals in Uganda’s Local Governments. At the time of the survey, Uganda had 92 local governments and a sample of 80 procurement officers was selected for the study. Of the sampled professionals, 59 of them filled a 50- item survey instrument (a response rate of 73.4%).Using factor analysis to confirm construct and content validity, this paper identifies a set of key skills that local government procurement staff in Uganda need to have if they are to efficiently and effectively manage the procurement function. The paper presents a skills requirements framework (SRF) for procurement practitioners in local government systems of Uganda. The results are original and contribute to the increasing body of public procurement in developing countries.