THE INFLUENCE OF PROCUREMENT PRACTICES ON SMEs GROWTH
A CASE OF BENUE STATE, NIGERIA.
Keywords:
Procurement practices, payment delays, SMEs growth, tendering processes, contract management.Abstract
The study examined the influence of procurement practices on SMEs growth in Benue state Nigeria relevant secondary data were collected from various sources. This study used a cross-sectional survey design and collected primary data from 108 serving and non-serving staff of selected SMEs in Benue state through questionnaires. The result from the various tests shows that public sector organizations in Benue State predominantly employ open competitive bidding, restricted tendering, and request for proposals in their procurement engagements. The study also shows that SMEs operating in Benue State face significant financial vulnerability largely because contract management practices especially delays in payment directly disrupt their cash flow stability. The study recommended that government should introduce SME-specific procurement policies including simplified documentation, lower financial thresholds and SME quotas.
