Factors that Influence the Appointment of Service Providers in the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport

In recent years, most of South Africa’s major roads have been inadequately constructed and maintained. The road construction scantiness in South Africa is evidenced by one of the many poorly constructed roads, the Moloto Road. This road, which connects Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, was dubbed the “Notorious Road” for the high number of fatal accidents. Therefore, assessing factors influencing service providers' appointments is a profound strategy to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in constructing and maintaining South African roads. Against this background, this study sought to determine the importance of the factors affecting the appointment of service providers within the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport. It also aimed to establish the influence of factors affecting the appointment of service providers in the successful appointment of service providers. Using a structured questionnaire, a quantitative descriptive approach was utilised to collect data from a sample of 155 Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport employees within the City of Tshwane. Descriptive and multivariate analyses, including factor, correlations and regression analyses were conducted via the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version. Results showed that essential factors, when choosing service providers, were financial stability and resources, quality, environmental and safety indicators, management ability, experience, and performance. A significant positive relationship was found between factors for choosing service providers and the selection of competent service providers. The study concluded with the provision of practical recommendations for improving the selection of service providers within public enterprises.