The effects of procurement process in devolved construction management process on quality of public building projects in Kenya: A case of Busia County

The construction sector is a key player for sustainable development. Both levels of government in Kenya (National and County) have identified construction sector as a driver of the development agenda. The devolved units (counties and constituencies) have invested quite substantial amount of public funds in infrastructure development and yet social audit and media reports have raised the concern over poor quality of the projects undertaken by these devolved units. This study therefore sought to investigate the procurement process to determine its effects on quality of public building projects. A case involving sixty-four projects sampled from Busia County and its seven constituencies was carried out. The study was a sample survey whose data was collected using questionnaires, interviews and physical observation exercise. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square good-for-fit tests. The findings indicated very low participation of the County procurement officers as financial managers in the construction process of the public building projects undertaken by devolved units. The participation rate was at 22% which implied that the projects were constructed without proper procurement process. The physical observation assessment revealed quality of the public building projects stood at 34% compliance to building specifications and standards which is inadequate to meet required standards. It is concluded that the involvement of County procurement officers as financial managers in the construction management process of public building projects undertaken by the devolved units was inadequate and impacts negatively on quality of the projects. In order to achieve the sustainable development as far as the infrastructural development is concerned, involvement of County procurement officers as part of project managers in construction process was critical. This therefore called for development of the legal and quality frameworks to guide the construction sector at the devolved units.