An Assessment of The Effect of E-Procurement Practices on Supply Chain Performance in Selected Organisations in Zambia.
Abstract
Public procurement plays an important role in promoting efficient service delivery, accountability, and value for money, accounting for approximately 10–15% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in many economies. Despite increasing adoption of electronic procurement (e-procurement), many organisations in Zambia continue to experience supply chain inefficiencies. This study assessed the effect of e-procurement practices on supply chain performance in selected organisations in Zambia. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was adopted, involving 192 respondents for the quantitative component and 15 key informants for the qualitative component. Stratified random sampling and purposive sampling were employed, while quantitative data were analysed using SPSS version 25 and qualitative data through thematic analysis. The results revealed moderate to high utilisation of e-procurement practices, with 63.0% of respondents reporting high or very high utilisation (mean = 3.64). E-procurement significantly improves supply chain performance, particulary, procurement efficiency (mean = 4.1), and availability of goods (mean = 4.04). ICT infrastructure, staff technical capacity, and organisational behaviour were positively associated with supply chain performance, jointly explaining 64.3% of its variation (R² = 0.643). The study concludes that effective implementation of e-procurement significantly enhances supply chain performance in selected organisations in Zambia. It recommends strengthening ICT infrastructure, investing in continuous staff capacity building, enhancing supplier integration, and evaluation mechanisms to maximise the benefits of e-procurement. The study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing empirical evidence on the determinants of successful e-procurement implementation in the Zambian context and offers practical insights for policymakers and organisational leaders seeking to improve supply chain performance through digital procurement systems.