Realizing NetZero in social housing: strategic public procurement and internal stakeholder engagement

Abstract

Energy costs and fuel poverty are major concerns for social housing tenants, many of whom are vulnerable citizens. To meet challenging NetZero targets, public organizations have used strategic public procurement (SPP) in decarbonizing social housing stock and to make it more energy efficient. Drawing on SPP and stakeholder engagement, we theoretically argue that public organizations’ diverse set of internal stakeholders are integral to SPP. Empirically, we provide evidence of a disconnect between organization-facing and customer-facing stakeholder groups which must be considered and addressed if NetZero targets, and organizational responsibility are to be achieved when implementing SPP.