Sustainable public procurement for supply chain resilience and competitive advantage

Abstract

Public procurement plays a crucial role in national economies, as it represents a significant share of public spending. Governments can thus use this considerable purchasing power to promote environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and economic efficiency, while encouraging the supplier market to innovate and adopt more sustainable practices to remain competitive, and to generate more resilient supply chains. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the subject of sustainable public procurement (SPP), the documentation is abundant and diverse, hence the need for an updated literature review especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis period. This article consists of a systematic literature review focusing on articles with an empirical approach. The results reveal, among other things, 8 main research themes subdivided into 19 sub-themes, with a dominance of literature on the obstacles and incentives related to the implementation of SPP, while those concerning e-procurement and the analysis of the social life cycle remain relatively limited. The study also underscores the role of local economies and SMEs in public procurement strategies. It highlights a trend towards geographical diversification, indicating the global significance of SPP, with noticeable differences in adoption between developed and developing countries. The review calls for future research to focus on developing practical frameworks and tools for integrating sustainability more comprehensively in public procurement. The findings illuminate the pivotal role of SPP as a mechanism steering societies towards a sustainable, resilient, and equitable future, particularly in a post-pandemic world.