This study examined the impact of supply chain management (SCM) on procurement performance in private universities in Abuja, Nigeria. The study focused on five SCM dimensions: Supplier Relationship Management (SRM), Procurement Information Systems (PIS), Inventory Management (IM), Logistics Coordination (LC), and Demand Forecasting and Planning (DFP). A cross-sectional survey design was used, and 150 respondents drawn from procurement, supply chain, stores, finance, and administration departments of four private universities Nile University of Nigeria, Baze University, Afe Babalola University, and African University of Science and Technology (AUST) participated in the study. Stratified random sampling was applied, and data were collected through structured questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. The findings showed that all five SCM dimensions had significant positive effects on procurement performance, with the model explaining 61.0% of the variance in procurement performance (R² = 0.610, F = 45.044, p < 0.001). PIS recorded the highest standardised beta (β = 0.737), followed by SRM (β = 0.640) and IM (β = 0.496). All four null hypotheses were rejected. The study concluded that SCM practices are critical drivers of procurement performance in private universities and recommended that institutions invest in procurement information systems, formalise supplier relationship management, and strengthen inventory and logistics functions.
Keywords: Nigeria, Private Universities, Procurement Performance, Supply chain management, procurement information systems, supplier relationship management
