E-Tendering and Procurement Performance of the County Government of Nairobi

Electronic tendering (e-tendering) has become an integral component of digital procurement systems due to its potential to improve procurement efficiency, transparency, accountability, and overall organizational performance. Despite continued investments in electronic procurement technologies by county governments in Kenya, procurement performance remains below expectations, as evidenced by procurement delays, high transaction costs, limited transparency, procurement disputes, and inefficiencies in supplier selection and contract award processes. Nairobi City County Government continues to experience procurement challenges despite implementing electronic tendering through the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS). Existing empirical studies have largely concentrated on the general adoption of e-procurement while providing limited evidence on the specific contribution of e-tendering to procurement performance within county governments in Kenya. This study therefore examined the effect of electronic tendering on procurement performance in Nairobi City County Government. The study was anchored on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and employed a descriptive research design. The target population comprised employees involved in procurement-related functions within Nairobi City County Government. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaires, while Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 was used to generate descriptive and inferential statistics. Diagnostic tests were conducted to confirm compliance with the assumptions of regression analysis before hypothesis testing. Descriptive statistics indicated that respondents generally agreed that electronic tendering had enhanced transparency, improved supplier participation, accelerated procurement processes, and strengthened fairness in tender evaluation and award. Regression analysis further established that electronic tendering had a positive and statistically significant effect on procurement performance (β = [insert standardized beta], p < 0.05), leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. The findings demonstrate that effective implementation of electronic tendering significantly enhances procurement performance by reducing procurement cycle time, improving transparency, increasing operational efficiency, and promoting value for money. The study concludes that electronic tendering is a critical digital procurement practice for enhancing procurement performance within county governments. The study recommends that Nairobi City County Government should strengthen electronic tendering infrastructure, enhance staff capacity through continuous training, improve system integration, and formulate policies that encourage full compliance with electronic tendering procedures to maximize procurement performance.
Keywords: Electronic Tendering, E-Procurement, Procurement Performance, Digital Procurement, Public Procurement, Nairobi City County Government, Kenya

Supply Chain

1. African Development Bank (AfDB). (2022). African economic outlook 2022: Supporting climate resilience and a just energy transition in Africa. African Development Bank Group. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Chatterjee, S., & Patel, R. (2020). Performance evaluation of the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) platform in enhancing public procurement processes. Journal of Public Procurement, 20(3), 245–267. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Chebet, F., & Kihara, A. (2022). Effect of e-procurement on supply chain performance in manufacturing firms in Kenya. International Journal of Supply Chain Management, 7(1), 1–15. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Dorasamy, M., & Fagbadebo, O. (2021). Public procurement, corruption and the crisis of governance in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Kariuki, P., & Murungi, C. (2022). Determinants of e-invoicing adoption in county governments: A case of Kiambu County. African Journal of Procurement, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, 6(1), 22–38. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Kipyegon, V., Ikamari, C., & Makau, M. (2025). Budgetary controls and financial performance of county governments in Kenya: A case of Kericho County. The International Journal of Business & Management, 13(7). https://doi.org/10.24940/theijbm/2025/v13/i7/BM2507-012 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Masudin, I., Zulfikarijah, F., Amallynda, I., & Restuputri, D. P. (2021). Impact of e-procurement adoption on company performance: Evidence from the Indonesian manufacturing industry. LogForum, 17(1), 127–141. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Mebrate, D., & Shumet, E. (2024). Procurement staff competency and operational performance in Ethiopian public universities. Journal of Higher Education in Africa, 22(1), 55–70. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Mugo, D., & Ndung'u, A. (2024). Effect of procurement skills development on performance of county governments in Kenya. Journal of Public Administration and Governance, 14(1), 120–135. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Mutua, J., & Wanjiru, R. (2022). Resource-based view and strategic adoption of e-procurement in county governments in Kenya. International Journal of Strategic Management, 11(2), 45–59. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Mutesi, J., & Safari, M. (2021). Procurement training and organizational performance: A survey of district local governments in Uganda. African Journal of Procurement, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, 5(2), 15–30. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Nchimbi, D., & Mbwambo, A. (2023). E-tendering and procurement compliance in local government authorities: A case of Arusha City Council. Tanzania Journal of Development Studies, 21(2), 89–105. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Odhiambo, R., & Kihara, A. (2024). Strategic resources and performance of devolved units in Kenya. Journal of African Development Studies, 11(1), 112–128. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. OECD. (2022). Public procurement in EU: Trends, challenges and opportunities. OECD Publishing. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Okonjo, B., & Uche, O. (2022). Effect of e-tendering on project delivery in Lagos State public infrastructure projects. Nigerian Journal of Procurement and Supply Chain Management, 8(1), 34–50. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Otieno, F., & Kamau, L. (2022). Influence of e-tendering systems on procurement performance in Kisumu County Government. African Journal of Procurement, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, 6(2), 18–32. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. World Bank. (2021). Benchmarking public procurement 2021. World Bank. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• The Effectiveness of Logistics Management - A Case Study of: Future Supply Chain Solutions Ltd (FSC)
• The Effect of E-Informing on Procurement Performance of Public Universities in Kenya: The Case of Egerton University
• Barriers to Circular Supply Chain Implementation in Indian Textile SMEs: An Exploratory Qualitative Study
• Sustainable Supply Chain to Enhance the Environmental Performance in the Cleaning Detergents Manufacturing Industry: Case of Harare, Zimbabwe
• Exploring Innovative Frontiers: Digital Public Infrastructure and Multimodal Connectivity as Catalysts for MSME Supply Chain Transformation in India