A dissertation submitted to the Dar es Salaam Campus Collage in partial
fulfilment of the requirements of Master of Science in Procurement and Supply
Chain Management (MSc PSCM) Degree of Mzumbe University
The general objective of this study was to investigate factors responsible for
inefficient procurement system in the public sector in Tanzania. The study
investigated the reviewed public procurement process in Tanzania as enunciated in
the Public Procurement Act 2004.
This was an exploratory study which utilized the survey method of data collection. It
was conducted in Dar es Salaam with the case study being the Ministry of
Infrastructure Development. The study used both primary and secondary sources of
data and the main sources of the primary data were the Procurement management
unit. Information collected were analysed through tables, figures and narrative form.
The propositions were tested using chi-square tests to determine the relationship
between the variables set.
The study found a number of factors that contribute to poor procurement in Ministry
of infrastructure and work. These include the low level of qualifications among the
procurement officers as most of them have not attained the higher level of
professional qualifications. Weaknesses in terms of legal understanding of legal
requirements in procurement. Improper specification of goods and works that result
to the procurement of goods of poor quality. Lack of procurement plan as these
results into haphazard purchases which sometimes fall outside the budget and lack of
transparency is a serious issue that affects procurement in public sectors.
The study recommends that there is a need for government agencies to revisit their
procurement activities to make sure that they are done as the profession requires and
as per the Public Procurement Act of 2004. This includes preparation of procurement
plans that involves the relevant stakeholders. The procurement officers have to abide
to professional ethics and ensure transparency in all procurement activities.