Procurement practices and the performance of the aviation industry in South Sudan: A case study of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF)

Abstract

The study examined the relationship between procurement practices and the performance in aviation industry at Mission Aviation Fellowship. It was guided by three objectives; i) To establish the role of procurement planning on the performance of Mission Aviation Fellowship-South Sudan, ii) To establish the role of procurement monitoring and control on the performance of Mission Aviation Fellowship-South Sudan and iii) To determine the role of ethical procurement practices on the performance of Mission Aviation Fellowship-South Sudan. The study adopted a case study design divided in section of research approach, research strategy, research duration and the research classification. The study population was 195 and a sample size of 153 respondents of which all participated. Results revealed that suppliers are evaluated before contract awarding, procurement bids are opened by an independent committee, The results revealed that there exists fair and equal treatment of providers and integrity in the firm’s procurement process and there exist no preference to any group of suppliers, in the firms’ procurement process, the criteria for assessing the suitability of bidders and for assessing the tenders in order to award a contract forms part of the minimum information contained in the letter of invitation or contract notice. In conclusion, application of the practices of procurement in the organization is founded on proper planning. Through proper procurement planning, a firm can be sure of increasing its performance level in form of productivity, cost cutting, quality of goods and services delivered as well as deliveries being made on time and that performance is largely influenced by accountability practices in procurement. The study therefore recommends that all suppliers should be treated fairly and even-handedly at all stages of the procurement process, supplier confidentiality should be safe-guarded, and unsuccessful suppliers should be debriefed with as much transparency about the procurement process as can be provided. The study also recommends that procurement teams in the MAF should adopt transparency procurement practices, accountability practices in procurement, integrity practices in procurement, confidentiality practices in procurement and procurement professionalism practices so as to effectively and efficiently improve on the performance.