Purpose The significance of the public procurement function is on the survival and development of procuring entities and that of a nation at large. This study aims to focus on examining the influence of procurement planning on the effectiveness of public procurement, experience from selected public procuring entities in Dodoma city, Tanzania. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional design was adopted from which data were collected from 146 respondents who were purposively chosen from several public procuring entities located at Dodoma city in the United Republic of Tanzania by using a survey structured questionnaire and analysed through a binary logistic regression model. Findings Findings revealed that procurement planning as a strategic function significantly influences the effectiveness of public procurement. The binary logistic regression model included the implementation of prepared procurement plans (p = 0.039), the involvement of users as stakeholders and important institutional actors in public procurement (p = 0.033), compliance to procurement laws and regulations when planning (p = 0.016) and adequacy of budget (p = 0.042) as predictors of procurement planning were tested to be significantly related to the effectiveness of public procurement. It was concluded that public procuring entities can achieve public procurement effectiveness through procurement planning. Social implications The implications and policy recommendations of the findings of this study would be useful to procurement practitioners mostly in public procuring entities. Originality/value This study contributes to adding knowledge to the existing body of knowledge on procurement planning as an imperative activity in public procurement in Tanzania.

PurposeOver time, the concept of word of mouth (WOM) has spread beyond marketing into other disciplines. This is because WOM is important in decision-making at both the individual and organisational levels. Also, people are more likely to trust recommendations from their peers than those from companies. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the perceived usefulness of WOM messages for small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) suppliers in participating in Tanzanian public procurement opportunities.Design/methodology/approachThe study collected cross-sectional data from 214 SME suppliers who supply common use items to public procuring organisations in Dodoma City, Tanzania. Structural equation modelling was used to test the direct relationships between study variables, and Hayes' PROCESS macro was used to test for the indirect effect of WOM message delivery on WOM attributes and the perceived usefulness of WOM.FindingsWOM attributes that include expertise differential, perceptual homophily, and trustworthiness are related to the perceived usefulness of WOM. Also, WOM message delivery mediates the relationship between the WOM attributes and the perceived usefulness of WOM in enhancing public procurement participation. Therefore, the study's findings revealed that WOM is applicable in the public procurement context, under which public buyers act as senders and suppliers act as receivers. The latter finds out about public procurement opportunities and responds to them, while the former gives suppliers whatever information they need to respond to public procurement tenders that have been advertised.Research limitations/implicationsBecause the study was cross-sectional, it was difficult to determine whether the opinions gathered over time remained consistent. Furthermore, only suppliers who are parties to framework contracts under Government Procurement Services Agency were included in the study. Therefore, the sample was limited to only suppliers supplying common use items to various public organisations in Dodoma City, Tanzania.Originality/valueThis paper integrates the concept of WOM from the marketing discipline and public procurement. As a result, the study adds to the understanding of the use of information transmission in terms of the contribution of WOM messages from public buyers to suppliers to enhance small and medium enterprises' participation in public procurement opportunities.

This article synthesizes current insights into supplier management practices that professional buyers can apply in the public procurement context. Specifically, it discusses the practices, rationale, and challenges associated with implementing supplier development as an important activity within supplier management practices. Drawing from the literature, the main arguments are on the applicability of indirect supplier development practices in the public procurement context. Therefore, it is concluded that public buyers can consider applying these practices in public organizations. However, caution should be exercised regarding the legal and regulatory structure that governs the country’s public procurement system. It further recommends empirical studies to be done on supplier development practices for local suppliers in specific public procurement projects.

This paper investigates the relationship between supplier development and procurement performance in the public sector. Furthermore, the paper examines the moderating role of contract management difficulty on the relationship between supplier development and procurement performance. Using crosssectional data collected from 179 public procuring entities, the main findings of the study are two-fold. Firstly, the relationship between supplier development and procurement performance in public sector is positive and significant (β = 0.2343 and p = 0.0014). Also, contract management difficulty negatively and significantly moderates the relationship between supplier development and procurement performance (β = −0.1447 and p = 0.0190). In this aspect, the influence of supplier development on procurement performance is negatively affected by contract management difficulties. The study contributes to the supplier management, procurement performance, and contract management literature by providing empirical evidence on the role of supplier development on procurement performance in developing countries like Tanzania. Also, the conditional effects of contract management difficulty on the relationship between supplier development and procurement performance matter. The study's findings have important implications for procurement practitioners in the public sector and policy makers.

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