INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF EAST AFRICA(IUEA)

FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

COURSE UNIT: PROCUREMENT RECORD MANAGEMENT PLM3103
LECTURER : RONALD MPAKA
YEAR : 3:1
BY
HENRY LAGU DRAGO
REG: 21/269/BPLM-M
Qn 1: Organisations need to create and maintain authentic and reliable records and to protect the
integrity of those records as long as they are required. Elaborate on these records. ( 10 marks)

This will include the following:

Creating Reliable Records: This point emphasizes capturing accurate and complete information
about transactions and activities within the record. Reliable records accurately reflect what
happened, who was involved, and when it occurred.
Assessing Risks of Failing to Maintain Authoritative Records: This point highlights the
importance of identifying and understanding the potential consequences of inadequate record
keeping. Risks can include legal issues, financial losses, reputational damage, and difficulty in
decision-making.
Preserving and Providing Access Over Time: Records need to be protected from deterioration
and remain accessible for as long as they are required for business needs or legal compliance.
This may involve implementing strategies like digital preservation or following established
retention schedules.
Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Requirements: Organizations must comply with
relevant laws and regulations regarding record-keeping. This includes adhering to specific record
formats, retention periods, and security measures.
Maintaining Records in a Safe and Secure Environment: Records need to be protected from
unauthorized access, alteration, loss, or damage. This can involve implementing physical security
measures, access controls for digital records, and proper backup procedures.
Safeguarding Record Integrity: This point emphasizes maintaining the completeness and
accuracy of records throughout their lifecycle. This includes preventing unauthorized
modifications and ensuring all necessary information is captured and retained.
Managing Records in Accordance with Regulations: This point emphasizes managing records
according to the specific legal and regulatory framework applicable to the organization and the
type of records involved.
Providing Appropriate Storage and Media: Records need to be stored in suitable
environments and on appropriate media that can ensure their long-term preservation and
readability. This may involve using archival-quality storage materials and considering digital
migration strategies for long-term accessibility.
Enabling Timely and Efficient Access: Records management systems should be designed to
facilitate easy retrieval of information when needed for business or accountability purposes. This
can involve implementing efficient search functionalities and user-friendly interfaces.
Qn 2: The breakdown of the procurement record keeping system has serious consequences.
Explain some of the indicators of failure to manage procurement records effectively. ( 10 marks)

Some of the indicators of failure to manage procurement records effectively include the
following:

Fragmentation of procurement records, where different documents pertaining to a single

procurement activity are kept by different offices, such as accounts, registry, and stores section.

Incompleteness and disorganization: Records lack completeness and proper organization,

leading to difficulties in finding and accessing them. This includes unified documents, personal
storage by staff, disorganized storage, mixing of active and closed, fragmented across
departments, lost or missing files, and backlogs.

Non-compliance and lack of policies: Organization fails to comply with regulations and lacks
established policies and procedures for record-keeping. This includes neglecting legal
requirements, failing to have an official filing system or outdated procedures, insufficient budget
allocation and lack of management support.
Security and control issues: Record are available to unauthorized access alteration or
destruction due to inadequate security and control measures. This includes personal storage by
staff, insufficient security safeguards, weak control systems for record movement, and the
absence of reliable record control systems.

Staff and resource deficiencies: The system suffers from unclear responsibility assignments,
lack of management support, and insufficient resources. This includes unassigned responsibility
for record-keeping, low morale of staff due to lack of support, unqualified staff, and
inappropriate filing equipment.

Version control and duplication: The existence of multiple versions of the same information
creates confusion and make it difficult to establish the official or accurate version.