Assessing the Challenges Affecting Local Supplier’s Access to Public Procurement Opportunities: Evidence from Choma District, Zambia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59413/ajocs/v7.i4.6Keywords:
Public Procurement, Local Suppliers, Institutional TheoryAbstract
Public procurement represents a strategic instrument for promoting local economic development by providing business opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). However, despite policy reforms aimed at increasing local supplier participation, many SMEs continue to experience barriers that limit their access to public procurement opportunities. This study explored how local suppliers perceive public procurement opportunities and examined the challenges they face when participating in public procurement processes in Choma District, Zambia. Anchored on Institutional Theory, the study adopted an exploratory qualitative case study design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 17 purposively selected local suppliers and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The findings revealed that local suppliers generally perceive public procurement, particularly Constituency Development Fund (CDF) projects, as an important avenue for business growth and local economic empowerment. However, these positive perceptions are undermined by persistent institutional challenges, including delayed government payments, lengthy bureaucratic procedures, limited digital capacity for electronic government procurement (e-GP), inadequate access to procurement information, and perceived political interference in contract awards. The study concludes that while procurement reforms have expanded opportunities for local suppliers, institutional weaknesses continue to constrain effective participation. It recommends strengthening transparency and accountability in procurement systems, improving payment efficiency, enhancing supplier capacity through training on procurement regulations and e-GP platforms, simplifying administrative procedures, and broadening dissemination of procurement information. These interventions would improve SME participation and enhance the contribution of public procurement to sustainable local economic development in Zambia.
Downloads
References
African Development Bank. (2020). African Economic Outlook 2020. African Development Bank.
Anaele, M., Dulaimi, M., Henderson, P., Zulu, S., Kavishe, N., & Jenkins, T. (2025). Addressing SME challenges in procurement of public sector construction projects.
Baloyi, S. V., & Ambe, I. M. (2026). Institutional and market barriers to sustainable procurement in South African state-owned enterprises. African Journal of Economic and Management Studies. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJEMS-04-2025-0278 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/AJEMS-04-2025-0278
Chanda, M. (2026). Public procurement and SME inclusion: An empirical analysis of the stationery supply sector. African Journal of Commercial Studies, 7(3), 110–118. https://doi.org/10.59413/ajocs/v7.i3.16 DOI: https://doi.org/10.59413/ajocs/v7.i3.16
Consumer Unity & Trust Society. (2021). Public procurement in Zambia: How to get it right. CUTS International.
Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) Lusaka. (2024). Legislative analysis of public procurement in Zambia 2024 (pp. 15–22). CUTS International.
Flynn, A. (2025). Research on SME involvement in public procurement: A review, critique and conceptual framework. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 32(2). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1478409225000615 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pursup.2025.101052
Greenwood, R., Oliver, C., Lawrence, T. B., & Meyer, R. E. (Eds.). (2017). The SAGE handbook of organizational institutionalism (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526415066
Hinings, C. R., Logue, D., & Zietsma, C. (2017). Institutional complexity and societal sectors. Journal of Institutional Economics, 13(2), 331–358.
Karttunen, E., Matela, M., Hallikas, J., & Immonen, M. (2022). Public procurement as an attractive customer: A supplier perspective. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 42(13), 79–102. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-05-2021-0346 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-05-2021-0346
Meyer, J. W., & Rowan, B. (1977). Institutionalized organizations: Formal structure as myth and ceremony. American Journal of Sociology, 83(2), 340–363. https://doi.org/10.1086/226550 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/226550
Mufalali, S. M., Moose, J., Bbenkele, E., Sikachelela, J., Mundia, M., & Muduli, R. (2026). Revisiting entrepreneurial orientation: A dimensional performance architecture in emerging market SMEs—Evidence from Kabwe District, Zambia. African Journal of Empirical Research, 7(2), 183–191. https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.7.2.17 DOI: https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.7.2.17
Mufalali, S. M., Muduli, R., Mundia, M., Ngoma, K., & Sikachelela, J. (2026). From exposure to intention: How social media entrepreneurial content shapes youth entrepreneurial intentions in Kabwe District, Zambia. African Journal of Commercial Studies, 7(3), 356–364. DOI: https://doi.org/10.59413/ajocs/v7.i3.42
Mufalali, S. M., Muduli, R., Mundia, M., Ngoma, K., Mwiya, B., & Sikachelela, J. (2026). Youth consumer preferences for local vs. international brands: Implications for SMEs in Kabwe District, Zambia. African Journal of Commercial Studies, 7(3), 523–532. DOI: https://doi.org/10.59413/ajocs/v7.i3.58
Mundia, M., Nkonde, C., Simui, F., Mufalali, M. S., & Muduli, R. (2023). Cooperatives and livelihood improvement: Understanding the contribution of enterprising agriculture cooperatives in rural communities of Kabwe District, Zambia. European Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences, 5(2), 40–46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24018/ejfood.2023.5.2.655
Mundia, M., Simasiku, M. M., & Chakwana, P. (2025). The role of micro-finance institutions on financial inclusion of farmpreneurs in rural communities of Kabwe District, Zambia. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 10(10), 3400–3411. DOI: https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25oct075
Mundia, M., Simasiku, M. M., Joseph, I., Muduli, R., & Mweemba, K. (2026). Indigenous knowledge and entrepreneurial mindset among the Ila-speaking people of Namwala District, Zambia. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 11(1), 3313–3322. DOI: https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26jan413
Mwiya, M. S., Moose, J., Bbenkele, E., Regina, M., Mundia, M., & Sikachelela, J. (2025). Entrepreneurial mindset in practice: Manifestations of entrepreneurial orientation among trading SMEs in Kabwe District, Zambia. East African Journal of Management and Business Studies, 5(4), 26–37.
Ndrecaj, D. (2015). An investigation into the common challenges facing public sector procurement in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2021). Government at a glance 2021. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/1c258f55-en DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/1c258f55-en
Ramasimu, M. G., Ramasimu, N. F., & Ramasimu, M. A. (2025). Public procurement and local economic development: Unpacking the challenges faced by small and medium enterprises. International Journal of Applied Research in Business and Management, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.51137/wrp.ijarbm.329 DOI: https://doi.org/10.51137/wrp.ijarbm.329
Scott, W. R. (2014). Institutions and organizations: Ideas, interests, and identities (4th ed.). SAGE Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3917/mana.172.0136
Sikombe, S., & Phiri, M. A. (2021). Institutional factors influencing institutionalised supplier development initiatives in the construction industry in Zambia. Cogent Business & Management, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2021.1935184 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2021.1935184
Simasiku Mwiya Mufalali, J., Moose, J., Bbenkele, E., Muduli, R., Mundia, M., Sikachelela, J., & Sishumba, J. (2026). Deconstructing entrepreneurial orientation: A variance decomposition analysis of SME performance in Kabwe District, Zambia. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 11(4), 2775–2784. https://doi.org/10.38124/IJISRT/26APR1645 DOI: https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26apr1645
Sipalo, S. (2021). Legal challenges to the Zambian public procurement system: A focus on the health sector (pp. 55–68). University of Pretoria Law Repository.
Transparency International. (2021). Corruption perceptions index 2021. Transparency International.
United Nations Development Programme. (2021). Procurement annual report 2021. UNDP.
World Bank. (2011). A guide to getting started in local procurement. World Bank Group/International Finance Corporation.
World Bank. (2025). Promotion of SMEs/local content in public procurement laws and regulation. World Bank Public–Private Partnership Legal Resource Center.
Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (2021). Annual business survey report 2021. Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Zambia Development Agency. (2022). SME development and enterprise support report 2022. Zambia Development Agency.
Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research. (2022). Policy brief on SME participation in public procurement in Zambia. ZIPAR.
Zambia Public Procurement Authority. (2022). Public procurement regulations, 2022. Government Printer.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Kachinga Munachande, Simasiku Mwiya Mufalali, Regina Muduli (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
