Practitioner Insights on Determinants of Procurement Contract Management and Constraints in Government Construction

The study aimed to examine the effects of compliance and monitoring of performance of public sector construction projects, assess the effect of contract documentation and determine the technical capabilities and constraints faced by contractors on the performance of public sector construction projects. A quantitative correlational research design was adopted, and a research questionnaire was used for data collection. The study findings revealed compliance with the contractual terms by contractors, enhanced procurement contract management with a mean of 4.10 and standard deviation of 1.145. Further, 80.2% of the respondents agreed that failure to understand the contract document leads to mistakes in contract implementation, which causes unnecessary rework and increases project costs. Monitoring procurement contracts is important in project management because it helps the contractors to remain focused. These findings are supported by standard deviation between 1.072 and 1.197 which implies consensus among the respondents. The study concluded that compliance with contract terms and conditions as well as monitoring procurement contracts were metrics that on their own, could lead to a positive influence on contract management. These metrics must work conjunctively with other metrics for them to lead to a positive influence on project performance. Contract documentation and technical capabilities were seen to be impactful on project performance as they could lead to a positive change in contract management. The study recommends that the government emphasizes contract documentation and contract monitoring of projects and Contract Manager involvement at the initial stages of the project. The study is limited to public sector, therefore recommends that a similar study be conducted in private sector to establish outcomes in comparison to public sector experience.