COST OPTIMISATION IN THE PROCUREMENT PROCESSES? AN ANALYSIS OF PRIVATE SOCIAL SOLIDARITY INSTITUTIONS IN ALTO MINHO

Abstract

The Private Institutions of Social Solidarity (IPSS) have a central role in our society, in answering the most significant social problems that exist. Taking into account the limited resources that IPSS generally have for the prosecution of their social mission, the optimisation of processes becomes fundamental, among which may be included the procurement processes. This article aims to understand how the IPSS of Alto Minho develop their purchasing processes and analyse to what extent they use instruments such as shared services or central purchasing. Through the analysis of a questionnaire sent to those responsible for the organisations, it was observed that these entities, despite having some knowledge about the concepts of shared services and purchasing centrals, have not yet started their implementation, either due to lack of knowledge or to the absence of answers in the territory.