Cited by 30Public Procurement and PolicySustainable Supply Chain ManagementPublic Policy and Administration Research

SPP toolbox: supporting sustainable public procurement in the context of socio-technical transitions

Open access
Cayolla Trindade, Paula, Antunes, Paula, Partidário, Paulo·2017·Sustainability

Abstract

Public procurement can shape production and consumption trends and represents a stimulus for both innovation and diversification in products and services, through a direct increase in demand. In recent years, the interest in demand-side policies has grown and several approaches have emerged, such as Green Public Procurement (GPP), Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) and Public Procurement of Innovation (PPI), representing strategic goals to be achieved through public procurement. In this context, there is a need to guide and support public organizations in the uptake of GPP, SPP and PPI practices. To respond to the challenges raised by the operationalization of such strategies, this paper proposes a new tool—the SPP Toolbox—for guiding public organizations as they re-think the procurement process, raising their ambitions and broadening their vision, thus changing the organizational approach towards culture, strategies, structures and practices. This toolbox integrates insights from GPP, SPP and PPI objectives and practices, in the context of the emergence of socio-technical transitions. The toolbox coherently links GPP, SPP and PPI, allowing flexibility in terms of goals, yet promoting an increasing complexity of institutionalized practices and skills—from GPP to SPP and then from SPP to PPI, organized in a framework fully integrated into the organizational strategy.

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  • The lack of knowledge and experience of CPP in the public sector is the main barrier to implementation.

    “The lack of knowledge and experience of CPP in the public sector is the main barrier to implementation (Uyarra et al., 2014;Trindade et al., 2017;Vejaratnam et al., 2020).”

    From Implementation and management of a circular public procurement contract for furniture (2023) · cites this paper as Trindade et al., 2017

    The Introduction says limited uptake of GPP, SPP and PPI is linked in part to the greater in-house competencies required for procurement of innovation. The paper also lists lack of SPP awareness and training, but it does not identify lack of knowledge and experience as the main barrier to implementing CPP; it refers to circular procurement as CP without analyzing that barrier. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • To effectively contribute to sustainability, new procedures need to be integrated into organizational strategies.

    “To effectively contribute to sustainability, new procedures need to be integrated into organizational strategies, which then create cultural, managerial and operational change (Trindade et al., 2017).”

    From Implementation and management of a circular public procurement contract for furniture (2023) · cites this paper as Trindade et al., 2017

  • Integration of new procedures into organizational strategies creates cultural, managerial and operational change.

    “To effectively contribute to sustainability, new procedures need to be integrated into organizational strategies, which then create cultural, managerial and operational change (Trindade et al., 2017).”

    From Implementation and management of a circular public procurement contract for furniture (2023) · cites this paper as Trindade et al., 2017

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Authors
Cayolla Trindade, P., Antunes, P., & Partidário, P.
Affiliations
  • LNEG—National Laboratory of Energy and Geology, I.P. Apartado 7586, Alfragide, 2610-999 Amadora, Portugal
  • Universidade Nova de Lisboa (PT)
  • DGEG-DEIR: Directorate General of Energy and Geology—Research and Renewables Division, Avenida 5 de Outubro 208, 1069-203 Lisboa, Portugal
Venue
Sustainability
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2017-12-28
Volume
10
Issue
1
Pages
67
ISSN
2071-1050 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2779045297
Cited by
30
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 5
FWCI
4.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Sustainability (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PEst-OE/AMB/UI4085/2013, Strategic Project Pest‐OE/AMB/UI4085/2013)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Public Procurement and Policy
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Sustainable Supply Chain Management
  • Social Sciences › Public Administration › Public Policy and Administration Research
Keywords
sustainable public procurement, green public procurement, innovation procurement, socio-technical transitions, demand-side policy, public sector organizations, organizational strategy

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