EFFECT OF SUPPORT SERVICES ON NON-FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF CONSTRUCTION FIRMS IN NAKURU COUNTY, KENYA

Despite significant growth in construction activities following Nakuru's elevation to city status, sector performance remains constrained by weak internal organizational systems, inadequate technical advisory structures, limited staff training, and poor project monitoring mechanisms, which collectively undermine the socio-economic benefits anticipated from construction investments in the county therefore the study sought to examined the effect of support services on the non-financial performance of construction firms in Nakuru County, Kenya. The study was anchored on the Resource-Based View theory. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, with the target population comprising 898 directors from construction firms pre-qualified by the Nakuru County Government to provide construction services during the 2022/2023 to 2024/2025 financial years. A sample of 269 directors was selected using Krejcie and Morgan's (1970) sampling table, with proportional stratified sampling employed to ensure fair representation across the eleven sub-counties of Nakuru County. Primary data were collected through self-administered semi-structured questionnaires utilizing a five-point Likert scale. Instrument reliability and validity were established through a pilot test conducted with 27 directors drawn from a different pool of construction firms, with face, content, and construct validity confirmed via expert review and Cronbach's Alpha ensuring internal consistency at a threshold of 0.7, with support services recording a coefficient of 0.786 and non-financial performance recording 0.876. Data analysis utilized descriptive statistics including frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations, and inferential statistics comprising Pearson correlation and simple linear regression, with diagnostic tests performed to verify normality and absence of multicollinearity, and results were presented in tabular form. The findings revealed a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship between support services and non-financial performance (r = 0.747, p = 0.000), indicating that firms investing in technical support systems, administrative coordination, staff training programs, and digital project monitoring mechanisms experienced measurable improvements in operational efficiency, project quality, safety compliance, employee productivity, and client satisfaction. The study concluded that support services constitute a critical internal organizational capability that enables construction firms to enhance operational coordination, reduce errors, strengthen stakeholder relationships, and achieve superior non-financial performance. Accordingly, it is recommended that construction firm managers prioritize investment in structured support service systems, while policymakers and industry regulators, particularly the National Construction Authority and the Nakuru County Government, formulate evidence-based guidelines that actively promote the adoption and strengthening of support services to enhance non-financial performance across the county's construction sector.