Analysis of stakeholder perceptions in road project tendering and supervision: a t -test comparison of contractors and officials in TANROADS, Southern Highlands – Tanzania

Road infrastructure is central to Tanzania’s socio-economic development. Despite recent procurement reforms, including the Public Procurement Act No. 10 of 2023 and the National e-Procurement System (NeST), systemic weaknesses persist across tendering and supervision stages. This study examines how deficiencies in tendering and construction supervision jointly affect the performance of road maintenance projects managed by the Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS). A quantitative survey was conducted with contractors (n = 45) and TANROADS officials (n = 29). Participants rated responses on a five-point scale, and t-tests were used to compare perceptions. Results indicate broad agreement between contractors and officials on most issues; however, differences emerged regarding insufficient time for bid preparation (|t| (72) = 2.65, p = 0.010, Cohen’s d = 0.62) and the prevalence of incomplete or non-compliant bids (|t| (72) = 2.95, p = 0.004, Cohen’s d = 0.71). Inadequate supervision capacity, decision-making delays, supervisor overload and weaknesses in upstream planning were the issues that contractors rated slightly higher. The findings reveal that weaknesses in upstream tendering cascade into supervision failures. These deficiencies exacerbate delays and cost overruns. The study concludes that an integrated, lifecycle-based approach which addresses principal-agent issues is essential to strengthen tendering and supervision.