Abstract:
This research acutely examines the procurement Act 663 and its impact on the accountability
of officers in the public sector. Specific research objectives were set to determine the laid down
procedures for the procurement Act, assess the competence of procurement staff in the
procurement sector, and review the budgetary perspective of the procurement entity in Ghana.
As a methodology, the study adopted a quantitative research approach while employing a case
study approach. Overall, 16 questionnaires were administered, as well as face-to-face
interviews were conducted. The study findings revealed that the staff lacked professional
knowledge of procurement services as the financial budget allocated for staff training was
vastly inadequate. The study also revealed a varied level of compliance among the procurement
institute studied in respect of part II of the Act. It was also established that, whereas there was
a high level of compliance in areas of well-established tender committees among significant
others, mandatory prior days before the scheduled date for meetings and professional expertise
in procurement practice showed relatively low compliance. Furthermore, although high
education levels were indicated in the study, little was revealed about the acquisition of
professional qualifications in procurement among staff in the entity. The study recommends,
among others, that an operational manual for the procurement Act should be available to all
procurement staff to guide and make them conversant with the procurement profession's
procedures.
