Influence of Contract Relationship Management on Procurement Performance of State Corporations in Energy Sector, Kenya

Contract relationship management plays an important role in promoting the sustainability of organizations in both public and private sectors. Contract management practices have been deployed in an effort to improve the performance of energy sector corporations in Kenya. However, despite the importance of contract relationship management amongst the procurement authorities, state corporations in energy sector in Kenya still face diverse challenges which are major deterrents to procurement performance. The current study examined the influence of contract relationship management on procurement performance of energy sector state corporations in Kenya. Contract relationship management involves development of effective working relationships suppliers to achieve better service delivery, value maximization and acquisition of quality products. Effective contract relationship management incorporates appropriate information sharing, collaborations and contract compliance elements. The study adopted descriptive research survey design. The target population was the state corporations in energy sector including Kenya Power, Geothermal Development Corporation (GDC) and Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO). Regression analysis findings showed that coefficient of determination was 0.547 implying that 54.7% of variation of procurement performance was explained by contract relationshipManagement.According to the regression coefficients, the beta coefficients for contract relationship management was significant at 95% confidence level (β=0.513; p=0.000<0.05). The results implied that contract relationship management affected the procurement performance of state corporations in the energy sector of Kenya. Therefore, improvement in information sharing, collaborations and contract compliance as elements of contract relationship management contributes to better procurement performance. The study recommends energy state corporations to incorporate contract relationship management into their overall operational strategy. This will lead to effective running of procurement contracts for improved procurement performance.