The Effect of Contract Management Practices on Value for Money in Tanzania: A Case of TANROADS in Dar es Salaam

This study is significant as it underscores the essential role of contract management practices in achieving value for money (VFM) in public infrastructure projects, particularly within TANROADS, Tanzania’s road authority. It provides valuable insights into how effective contract management can improve project quality, cost efficiency, stakeholder confidence, and timely completion, offering practical recommendations for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. Despite its contributions, the study highlights a gap in understanding how external risks, such as weather-related delays, and contextual challenges in Tanzania affect VFM despite contract compliance. It also calls for further exploration of organizational culture, regional factors, and the long-term effects of contract management on VFM. The study aims to investigate how contract management influences VFM in TANROADS infrastructure projects, focusing on quality of deliverables, cost savings, timely completion, risk mitigation, and stakeholder confidence. Key findings from the regression analysis show that all factors positively contribute to VFM, with quality of deliverables having the strongest impact (β = 0.421), followed by cost savings (β = 0.315), timely completion (β = 0.282), risk mitigation (β = 0.299), and stakeholder confidence (β = 0.220). The study concludes that effective contract management is crucial for achieving better project outcomes and recommends further research on contract management in various sectors, stronger guidelines for transparency and risk management, and enhanced practitioner training in procurement roles to improve VFM.