UNETHICAL PROCUREMENT PRACTICES IN PUBLIC TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN EDO STATE

Abstract

Procurement is a very vital aspect of construction that can either make or mar the successful completion of any construction project. Due to the fact that construction procurement in the public institutions is more prone to unethical practices, this study objectives were to determine critical unethical procurement practices prevalent in public tertiary institutions of Edo State, to identify the causes of unethical procurement practice in public tertiary institutions of Edo State and to determine the differences in levels of cost overrun due to unethical procurement practices in public tertiary institution construction projects in Edo State. The data analysis was based on the 57 questionnaires filled by procurement staffs. The objectives were analysed using mean item score and kruskal wallis test. The study concludes that “A single proprietor utilizes various companies to submit bids for the same project”, “Dividing tenders to evade established monetary thresholds” and “Exaggerating capacity, experience and qualifications to secure contracts for construction projects”, are the most prevalent unethical procurement practices with “Political influence”, “Greed”, and “Unethical Professional Practice” being the major causes of Unethical Procurement Practices in Public Tertiary Institutions in Edo State. The study also concluded that “Bidders forming an agreement where one submits the successful tender while the other presents a bid intentionally higher than the designated winning bid” is one of the unethical procurement practices that results in a significant difference in the levels of cost overrun. Hence the study recommends that there should be an improvement with the enforcements and systems guiding the procurement process in tertiary institutions.