IMPACT OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE IN RWANDA'S LOCAL GOVERNMENT SECTOR

This study examines the influence of project management practices on contractor performance in Rwanda's local government sector, aiming to identify key challenges and propose actionable solutions. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews conducted among contractors and project managers from 2015 to 2019. Statistical analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between advanced project management practices and contractor performance (χ² = 25.34, p < 0.001), with optimized practices yielding a 60% high-performance rate compared to 15% under basic practices. Inadequate planning (55%) and resource constraints (45%) were the most critical challenges, increasing the likelihood of delays by 2.8 times (p < 0.01). Contractors with formal training achieved a high-performance rate of 65%, compared to 20% for non-trained peers (t = 8.42, p < 0.001). Adaptive project controls resulted in an 80% on-time completion rate, underscoring their effectiveness. The study concludes that enhancing planning frameworks, expanding capacity-building initiatives, adopting adaptive project controls, increasing monitoring frequency, and addressing resource allocation gaps are essential for improving contractor performance.