| dc.description.abstract | Equitable access to government procurement opportunities (AGPO) is a strategic
policy mechanism aimed at promoting inclusive participation and enhancing public
service delivery. Despite nearly a decade of implementation, AGPO’s impact remains
mixed with persistent challenges, including limited access to procurement
information, low contract absorption rates, inadequate technical and financial
capacity among beneficiary groups, and weak compliance by procuring entities. This
study evaluated the effect of access to government procurement opportunities on the
service delivery of water companies in Murang’a County. The investigation was
guided by the Agency Theory, which emphasises the importance of effective
delegation and accountability between procuring entities and suppliers in achieving
optimal service outcomes. The study employed a descriptive survey design, targeting
management staff across licensed water companies within Murang’a County. The
population of this study consisted of 240 employees working in the procurement
department and heads of the user department drawn from the five water companies
in Murang’a County. Yamane’s formula was used to arrive at a sample size of 150
respondents. Data was gathered through questionnaires and analysed using regression
analysis to determine the statistical relationship between access to procurement
opportunities and service delivery outcomes. The regression results revealed that
AGPO had a positive unstandardized coefficient of 0.472, with a corresponding pvalue of 0.000, which is far below the conventional threshold of 0.05, indicating that
the relationship between AGPO and service delivery is both strong and statistically
significant. Hence, the null hypothesis was rejected, leading to the conclusion that
AGPO implementation significantly improves service delivery in water companies.
The study recommends that county governments and oversight bodies intensify
AGPO policy implementation by increasing transparency, minimising access
barriers, and equipping staff with procurement inclusion skills. As a policy
recommendation, the Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) and the Public
Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) should jointly develop AGPO
compliance guidelines tailored to water service providers to promote equity,
efficiency, and improved public service outcomes | en_US |
