The Influence of Governance on Implementation of the Public Procurement Act No. 15 of 2015: Case Study of Oshana Regional Council.

Abstract

This study examined how the principles of good governance transparency, accountability, participation, and fairness have shaped the implementation of Namibia’s Public Procurement Act No. 15 of 2015 within the Oshana Regional Council. Employing an exploratory and predominantly qualitative research design, the study combined thematic analysis of 12 procurement files and five audit reports (Financial Year 2022–2024) with non participant observations of five Bid Evaluation Committee sittings. Additionally, focus group discussions were conducted with a purposive sample of 36 stakeholders directly involved in public procurement, including procurement officers, bid evaluation committee members, auditors, finance managers, policy advisors, and suppliers. This sample size was determined to ensure data saturation and to reflect heterogeneity across roles and perspectives. Descriptive analysis of the frequency with which themes occurred was employed to complement the thematic analysis. This quantification highlighted prominent themes, thereby enriching the explanation of operational and governance challenges within the public procurement system. Governance literacy clustered among procurement officers and auditors, while suppliers and administrative staff demonstrated significantly lower levels of awareness. Rules such as strict competitive bidding, enforcement of conflict-of-interest policies, transparent disclosures, and thorough supplier evaluations were consistently upheld. Good governance yielded measurable benefits, including shorter procurement cycle times, cost savings, and improved vendor relations. However, procedural drift manifested in 58% of sampled contracts bypassing open-advertising thresholds, conflict-of-interest forms missing or delayed in one-third of cases, and inadequate post-award monitoring of social-value clauses remained common. Capacity deficits, ad hoc staffing of the Procurement Management Unit, corruption risks, and resistance to change emerged as chief impediments to full compliance. Stakeholders proposed five key remedies: formalising the PMU, instituting mandatory role specific training, strengthening independent oversight, accelerating the roll-out of e procurement, and linking social-value clauses to quarterly impact reports. The study concludes that robust statutory frameworks alone are insufficient without parallel investments in human capital, digital infrastructure, and strong enforcement mechanisms. By situating local evidence within contemporary governance literature, this research offerscontext-specific insights and actionable policy guidance for enhancing procurement effectiveness in Namibia and comparable settings.