An analysis into the effect of the public procurement act 663 as amended on productivity in the tarkwa-nsuaem municipal assembly: the mediating role of information communication technolgy (ict

Government operations are carried out primarily through public procurement. It is the procedure by which the government acquires goods, works, and services from outside parties to carry out its operations. It is based on the five "rights," which are obtaining goods, works, or services at the right price, in the right quantity, in the right quality, delivered at the right time and place, and from the right source. Systems used by the government for purchasing are generally sound in terms of how they are set up and how they operate. Additionally, manual processes are linked to corrupt practices because public procurement has always been done that way. Once more, various executional flaws exist, and all these have impact on how well they perform. The study aimed to analyze the effect of the public procurement act 663 as amended on productivity in the public sector with the role of information communication technology as a mediating role. In light of this, the specific objectives were; to assess the public procurement act understanding by tarkwa-nsuaem municipal assembly procurement professionals, assessing the effects of public procurement act on tarkwa-nsuaem municipal assembly, evaluating tarkwa-nsuaem municipal assembly's application of information and communication technology in their procurement process, determining the difficulties tarkwa-nsuaem municipal assembly encounters when acquiring goods, services, and works in accordance with the procurement act and examining tarkwa-nsuaem municipal assembly's compliance using public procurement act. A well-structured, closed-ended questionnaire was given to respondents in the assemblies as part of the study's methodology, which was quantitative in nature. Data received were analysed using frequencies, percentages, standard deviation and mean score ranking which was aided by statistical package for social sciences (spss). The key findings of the study indicated that public procurement act is a critical determinant of public sector's level of procurement efficiency and is required for a successful procurement plan, choice of procurement method, tender procedures, selection of evaluation panel, selection of potential suppliers/contractors/service providers and the disposal of stores items, vehicles and capital equipment. Additionally, it was discovered that public procurement professionals adhered to the public procurement act in their day-to-day operations and could ensure a successful procurement cycle, encompassing pre-tendering, tendering, and post-tendering. Also, the adoption of e-procurement, an ict application, had several benefits, making it simple for organizations like the public sector to recognize the need to reduce wasteful spending and irregularities in the acquisition of products, services, and works to replace the practice of manual procurement. The results further showed that the adoption of ict served as a mediating factor which aided in the application of public procurement act 663, as amended, on productivity in the public sector. Nevertheless, the uncomfortable internet connection, the difficulty in securing suppliers' electronic participation, and the integration of the internal and external environments were a few of the difficulties in implementing information communication technology in the public sector's practice of public procurement. It is therefore recommended that information communication technology (ict) tools like the Ghana electronic procurement system (ghaneps) should be fully and adequately operated by public sector organisations to positively impact their productivity. Suppliers, service providers and contractors who are unwilling to cooperate with the adoption of ict tools like ghaneps and gifmis must be engaged effectively to educate them on the essence and effectiveness of the adoption of ict which would help centralize all procurement activities, increase effectiveness, productivity, and personal performance. Although the assembly's procurement committee members and suppliers/contractors/service providers are aware of the act's requirements, they lack the knowledge necessary to completely comply with the law. Thus, it is advised that the public procurement authority (ppa) provide frequent training sessions to introduce those participating in the procurement process to the guidelines and procedures for carrying out the act.

Source: KNUST