Advancing a conceptual model for procurement management, service delivery and value for money optimisation in Rural District Councils.

Abstract

In many countries across the world, local governments play a critical role in maintaining and improving the livelihood of societies in their localities through procurement and provision of goods, services and construction works. The research’s primary objective was to enhance a conceptual model that addresses procurement management, service delivery, and optimisation of value for money in the 60 rural district councils of Zimbabwe. A positivist philosophy was employed to enable a quantitative research methodology in the analysis of data. The data for this research were collected from June to October 2023. The study adopted a probability sampling technique where the population was initially stratified according to 8 non-metropolitan provinces which allowed for capturing geographic diversity. Further stratification was conducted based on professional roles involved in public procurement processes and service delivery where simple random sampling method was employed to draw a sample of 300 respondents from the selected Rural District Councils in Zimbabwe. Using the SPSS program version 21, a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was carried out for factor reduction and dimensional groups to simplify the complex datasets, identifying patterns, and facilitating further analysis. The study's major findings reveal significant relationships and challenges in the current public procurement practices of Zimbabwe’s RDCs. These challenges include inadequate financing, shortage of skilled personnel, delays in procurement processes, lack unattainable value for money outcomes. Further, it identified significant relationship between procurement objectives and service delivery with efficiency, economy, and transparency as critical objectives. It also established a positive association between procurement process, procurement expertise, procurement management and service delivery in rural local authorities. Additionally, it established a positive linear association between service delivery and value for money. On the contrary, the study established an inverse relationship between procurement management and value for money which were pointed to some underlying challenges embedded in the public procurement. In conclusion, this dissertation underscores the critical role of procurement objectives, processes, and expertise in improving service delivery and attaining value for money in the context of Rural District Councils in Zimbabwe. The implications of the research extend beyond the immediate case study to inform policy makers, practitioners, and scholars interested in improving public procurement practices in developing countries. By addressing the identified challenges, this study contributes to the broader discourse on enhancing rural local authorities’ governance and public procurement management for more effective and equitable service delivery.of autonomy, and a lack of transparency contributing to poor service delivery and