Abstract:
Sustainable Public Procurement is among the key avenues for realising the three pillars
of sustainable development globally. In developing and developed countries public
procurement has enormous purchasing power which accounts for 12% and 30%
respectively of the gross domestic product. County governments in Kenya are
allocated between 15 to 45% of the national budget, of which 60% is spent on
procurement. This puts the County Government in a better position to drive sustainable
development. However, the low rate of implementation of SPP is impeding the
realisation of SDGs. This study was guided by institutional theory and adopted a crosssectional research design. It targeted all the 178 procurement professionals in Western
Kenya counties who were studied using census approach. The study found that sociodemographic characteristics of procurement practitioners influence the implementation
of sustainable procurement practises. Additionally, the study found that the regulatory
framework affects the implementation of sustainable procurement practises within
County Governments in Western Kenya. Moreover, the findings revealed that County
governments’ resource capacity has a significant effect on implementation of
sustainable procurement practises within County Governments in Western Kenya. The
study also established that procurement professionals’ commitment influences the
implementation of sustainable procurement practises within County Governments in
Western Kenya. Based on the findings, the study concludes that socio-demographic
characteristics, regulatory framework, county government resource capacity,
procurement managers’ commitment have significant effect on the implementation of
SPP. The study thus recommends that the county governments should initiate a
comprehensive, departmental-wide training and development initiatives that
encompasses regulatory compliance, skill development in sustainable practises, and
managerial involvement to ensure effective implementation of SPP within County
Governments in Western Kenya.
