Contract management in enterprises of different profiles includes those processes that are necessary to obtain all the essential resources through the establishment of partnership agreements. The purpose of this paper is summarizing the article “Contract Management, Inter Functional Coordination, Trust and Contract performance of Works Contracts in Ugandan Public Procuring and Disposing Entities” by Muhwezi and Ahimbishibwe (2015).
As a background, the key features of the research will be analyzed, basic findings, as well as the practical implications of the outcomes. The article in question has a solid methodological basis that reveals the nuances of contract management in the Ugandan internal market.
Research Methodology and Design
The article in question is a correlational cross-sectional study with a descriptive and analytical research design. Muhwezi and Ahimbishibwe (2015) use a literature review as the method of finding valuable scholarly materials to provide a rationale for the relevance of their topic and specific ideas and theories. A number of contracts for Ugandan enterprises were analyzed, and from the whole list, the substantiation base was collected from 64 examples with the corresponding results of the performance of signed partnership agreements. As the convenience of presenting the materials, tables were compiled as the visual means of displaying numeric information.
Basic Findings
As the key positions for evaluation, three dimensions of contract management were applied – “delivery management, relationship management and contract administration” (Muhwezi & Ahimbishibwe, 2015, p. 81). Based on the results of the survey conducted, it was revealed that the first factor was perceived most positively among all the respondents. The variables used in the study confirmed the initial assumption that the principles of public procurement supported by Ugandan enterprises were largely based on the principles of individualism.
As Muhwezi and Ahimbishibwe (2015) note, on local procuring entities, inter functional coordination was not a significant factor in the implementation of contracts, which proves the conclusion of a monopolistic approach. However, contract performance was found to be dependent on the principles of leadership and trust. The results of the study indicate that the order of the organization of partnership agreements in Ugandan enterprises does not have significant violations and erroneous approaches, and access to information is one of the strengths.
Practical Implications and Limitations
The study under consideration may be useful from an academic perspective due to its detailed analysis of the three dimensions of contract management. Also, specific conclusions about the effectiveness of each of the factors help understand which criteria contribute to increasing the performance of drawing up agreements, and which factors do not carry significant practical value. For the representatives of state procurement agencies, the study by Muhwezi and Ahimbishibwe (2015) can be useful due to the detailed ratio of all variables.
Regarding limitations, there are a few areas that could be covered in more detail. In particular, only state procurement was considered, excluding business structures, and an insufficient number of goals for both parties involved in contract agreements were presented.
Conclusion
The study summarized presents data on the principles of contract management in the Ugandan public procurement system. The research methodology and design allow analyzing respondents’ opinions on the effectiveness of measures taken at local enterprises and the values of specific components that determine the productivity of partnership agreements. The findings of the article can be useful both from an academic and practical point of view and, despite some limitations, they may be used as a basis for further research in this area.
Reference
Muhwezi, M., & Ahimbishibwe, A. (2015). Contract management, inter functional coordination, trust and contract performance of works contracts in Ugandan public procuring and disposing entities. European Journal of Business and Management, 7(20), 76-86.