Procurement Laws and Billing in the Award of Public Contracts in the Rivers State Ministry of Works

Vollständiger Abstract

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This study examined the impact of the procurement law on overbilling in the award of public contracts in the Rivers State Ministry of Works, with emphasis on accountability and trans parency in the procurement process. The aim of the study was to assess the extent to which the Rivers State Public Procurement Law has influenced accountability in the Ministry, par ticularly in reducing overbilling and corruption in contract awards. The study adopted Stakeholder Theory as its theoretical framework because public procurement involves several stakeholders such as government officials, contractors, suppliers, regulatory bodies, and tax payers. A survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study con sisted of 532 respondents drawn from staff of the Rivers State Ministry of Works, contractors, and vendors. A sample size of 228 respondents was selected using the simple random sam pling technique. Data were collected through a structured 10-item Likert scale questionnaire and secondary sources. The validity of the research instrument was confirmed by experts, while the reliability was tested using the test–retest method. A total of 220 questionnaire were successfully retrieved, representing a response rate of 96.5%. Data collected were analyzed using simple percentages and qualitative content analysis while hypothesis was tested using chi square at critical value of 0.05 significant level. The findings revealed that the procure ment law significantly reduced corruption and overbilling in the award of public contracts in the Ministry. The chi-square result showed that the calculated value was greater than the critical value at 0.05 level of significant leading to the acceptance of the alternative hypothe sis. The study therefore concluded that the procurement law improved accountability, trans parency, and efficiency in the procurement process of the Rivers State Ministry of Works. The study therefore recommends that government should ensure strict enforcement and continu ous monitoring of the procurement law to sustain the reduction in corruption in contract awards. Regular training and supervision of procurement officers should also be strength ened to promote full compliance with the law.