Abstract:
Public procurement has increasingly become prominent in both public and private sectors. This study’s general objective is to evaluate the factors affecting the performance of the public procurement function. It plays a vital role in driving the economy in every country. The main objective of the study was to assess the factors affecting the public procurement function. The study adopted descriptive research design. Proportionate sampling was used to identify a sample size of 120 respondents from a target population. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 20). The study established that procurement staff competencies, ethics, legal framework, institutional culture and Information Communication Technology (ICT) positively affect the efficiency of the procurement function in public institutions in Pakistan. Data was analyzed using quantitative analysis by employing both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study concludes that information technology, ethics and staff competency have a positive effect on performance of the procurement function in public institutions. The study recommends employment of procurement officers with professional qualification and review of legislations to ensure compliance with the international procurement systems. It therefore recommends that the use of information technology in the public institutions be enhanced so as to deliver success in the performance of procurement functions, competence of employees should be promoted in public institutions and work ethics being a fundamental in the success of any organizations performance should be observed in all procurement departments.
