Public procurement practices and environmental sustainability in Uganda’s public sector: a case of Ministry of Works and Transport

Abstract

This study sought to examine the influence of public procurement practices on environmental sustainability at the Ministry of Works and Transport (MoWT). The study objectives were: to assess the influence of procurement planning on environmental sustainability, to examine the influence of procurement contracting on environmental sustainability, and lastly to evaluate the influence of e procurement systems on environmental sustainability in the study context. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design and data was collected from a cross-section of 122 respondents at a single point in time using both qualitative and quantitative research approaches to achieve the three objectives of the study. The study employed simple random sampling and purposive techniques to select key informants. Both questionnaires and key informant interviews were used as tools for data collection. The results revealed that procurement contracting (β = 0.352, p = 0.000) and procurement planning (β = 0.348, p = 0.000) were statistically significant predictors of environmental sustainability, demonstrating that both practices play a critical role in shaping sustainable outcomes within MoWT. However, e-procurement systems did not significantly predict environmental sustainability (β = –0.082, p = 0.412), indicating that although digital systems exist, they are not yet effectively utilised to enforce or support environmental sustainability practices in the procurement process. Therefore, with the above findings, the study contributes to the body of knowledge on sustainable public procurement by providing empirical evidence on how procurement planning and contracting practices influence environmental sustainability in Uganda's public sector. Finally, the study recommends that MoWT should strengthen planning and contracting practices by embedding environmental criteria and enforcement mechanisms. Additionally, the e procurement platform should be upgraded to support green procurement functionality and tracking mechanisms.