The impact of external audit function on the company’s procurement management in a developing country

The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of the External Audit Function on the company’s procurement management, with particular attention to the Lesley Marketing Board (LMB). This case study was selected as it had several procurement activities for the period under review, and the aim of the study is to come up with recommendations that will bring normalcy to the procurement systems of state-owned enterprises. The study adopted a quantitative approach, collecting data using questionnaires. A target population of fifty was used, and all 50 members formed part of the study since the population was small. However, only forty returned questionnaires, and the remaining ten did not. Key findings show that procurement managers perceive external audit as an effective tool for ensuring compliance with procurement policies and regulations, improving transparency and accountability, and enhancing the quality of procurement decisions. The study recommended that the progress of the external audit function be monitored, and the effectiveness of the LMB procurement management system improvements be evaluated.