Bidding process compliance and bid competitiveness. a case of Uganda National Roads Authority

Abstract

The general objective of the study was to examine the effect of bidding process compliance on bid competitiveness in UNRA. The study specifically assessed how bidding document approval, invitation to bid and sale or issue of bidding document affect bid competitiveness in UNRA. The study used a case study design adopting quantitative and qualitative approaches. The study population included 107 respondents consisting of contracts committee, user departments and members of the PDU from the head office and the six regional offices in the country. 107 questionnaires were sent out to be filled but only 80 questionnaires were full-filled and retuned providing a response rate of 75%. The study findings revealed that bidding document approval, invitation to bid and sale or issue bidding document all predict 66.4% of the variance in bid competitiveness in UNRA. The study found out that bidding document approval, invitation to bid and sale or issue of bidding documents were significant predictors of the variance in bid competitiveness (β1= 0.451, t= 3.639, Sig. = 0.000), (β1= 0.072, t= 8.705, sig = 0.000) and (β1= 0.462, t= 4.963, Sig. = 0.000). To increase bid competitiveness the study recommends that UNRA should encourage both the staff directly linked to the bidding process at the head office and in regional offices to comply with the approved procedures stipulated in the PPDA Act 2003 as amended and the PPDA Regulations 2014 so as to make the process competitive in terms of increased number of potential bidders, lowering the procurement costs due to increased competition and access to new market developments provided by suppliers.