The Effect of Supply Chain Integration on the Performance of Procurement in the County Governments of Western Region, Kenya

Abstract

The study sought to assess the effect of supply chain integration (SCI) on the performance of the procurement functions in the county governments of Western Region, Kenya. The study is anchored on systems theory as the main theory. The study used a descriptive research design. The study was conducted in the four Counties in Western Region, Kenya. The counties included Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, and Vihiga county governments. The population for this study consisted of 215 county officials located in the Western Region of Kenya. Stratified simple random sample was used in the investigation to sample 168 supply chain employees, procurement officers, and finance officers. Questionnaires were used as the main data collection instrument. A pilot study was carried out in Trans Nzoia County. The descriptive and inferential analysis of the data was conducted using SPSS version 26. The two forms of inferential analysis used in this study were simple linear regression, and Pearson correlation. The study found that supply chain integration significantly influenced procurement performance, with t = 7.134, B = 0.570, and p < 0.05, highlighting its positive impact on procurement functions. The study conclude that supply chain integration practices had a significant positive influence on procurement performance in county governments of western region. Supply chain integration provides internal integration, customer integration, external integration and horizontal integration. The study recommends that mutual goals with suppliers free from biasness should be adopted to ensure that collaborations between suppliers and companies exist. Customers should be part and parcel of procurement process to build a transparent procurement base. The study would enable policy makers aware of the vital role played by procurement practices with regard to procurement performance. The study's results may additionally empower the administration of diverse government agencies, such as county governments, to discern the fundamental elements that must be taken into account in supply chain management in order to maximize the utilization of public funds and resources.