Determinants for sustainable procurement practices implementation within county governments in Kenya

Abstract

Sustainable Public Procurement is among the key avenues for realising the three pillars of sustainable development globally. In developing and developed countries public procurement has enormous purchasing power which accounts for 12% and 30% respectively of the gross domestic product. County governments in Kenya are allocated between 15 to 45% of the national budget, of which 60% is spent on procurement. This puts the County Government in a better position to drive sustainable development. However, the low rate of implementation of SPP is impeding the realisation of SDGs. This study was guided by institutional theory and adopted a crosssectional research design. It targeted all the 178 procurement professionals in Western Kenya counties who were studied using census approach. The study found that sociodemographic characteristics of procurement practitioners influence the implementation of sustainable procurement practises. Additionally, the study found that the regulatory framework affects the implementation of sustainable procurement practises within County Governments in Western Kenya. Moreover, the findings revealed that County governments’ resource capacity has a significant effect on implementation of sustainable procurement practises within County Governments in Western Kenya. The study also established that procurement professionals’ commitment influences the implementation of sustainable procurement practises within County Governments in Western Kenya. Based on the findings, the study concludes that socio-demographic characteristics, regulatory framework, county government resource capacity, procurement managers’ commitment have significant effect on the implementation of SPP. The study thus recommends that the county governments should initiate a comprehensive, departmental-wide training and development initiatives that encompasses regulatory compliance, skill development in sustainable practises, and managerial involvement to ensure effective implementation of SPP within County Governments in Western Kenya.