Public Procurement Principles and Value for Money in Works

This research assesses the influence of the public procurement principles on value for money. The study further determines how trust and ethical procurement practices jointly and separately mediate the relationship between principles of procurement and value for money. The main objective is to determine the procurement principles impacting value for money, highlighting the gaps in effective and efficient adherence to trust and ethical practices in the procurement of works. The study adopted a mono-quantitative method with a structured questionnaire to gather data from a total sample of 244 respondents. The purposive sampling technique was used. The study findings revealed that compliance with procurement principles significantly and positively influences value for money. Results also indicated that adherence to procurement principles and ethical practices is significant and positive, and leads to trust in procurement activities at local government institutions. However, findings show an inverse relationship between citizens' trust and value for money. The study is limited to quantitative analysis that focuses on numerical data, which might overlook subjective experiences. Lastly, the study outcome shows procurement officers are skilled and play crucial roles in ensuring that metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs) deliver projects to communities, resulting in value for money. The study recommends that procurement officers and managers in the assemblies must reinforce the implementation of principles and ethical procurement practices and provide periodic training for staff to enhance their understanding of the importance of ethical procurement and its impact on value for money.