Examining the relationship between the barriers and current practices of sustainable procurement: A survey of un organizations

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a survey of perceptions on sustainable procurement (SP) in the United Nations (UN). It is the first of its kind to systematically analyse the issue of SP in the UN system. While the UN has a tremendous opportunity to support their objective of sustainable development through SP practices, significant obstacles still block the full implementation of this goal. The purpose of this study is to investigate the barriers to implementing SP practices in the UN system. Based on an online survey that yielded 282 responses, we identified a framework of SP measures and barriers, and conducted a regression analysis to identify underlying correlations. We find significant correlation between good SP practices and low demand, performance measurement and tool barriers.

Is Supply's Actual Contribution to Sustainable Development Strategic and Operational?

“…(, p. 267): ‘…the reality is that the economic side currently drives sustainable supply management’. In fact, it seems that most organizations still do not use the supply function to its maximum potential in their SD approach (Haake and Seuring, ; Hasselbalch et al ., ; Mogre et al ., ).…”

The role of training in dismantling barriers to sme participation in public procurement

“…Using principal component analysis (PCA), we find that firms perceive five main varieties of barriers. A related methodology has been applied in Hasselbach, Costa, and Blecken (2014), who analyze the procurer's perception of barriers in sustainable procurement. Our results suggest that a lack of on-going training is associated with perceptions of resource constraints and practical skills that hinder participation in public procurement.…”

Sustainable Public Procurement and Human Rights: Barriers to Deliver on Socially Sustainable Road Infrastructure Projects in Mexico

“…Money puts pressure on decision makers to choose the "lowest-cost option rather than the best value or pursue assessment of more sustainable options" [39], p. 232. Besides, authorities frequently face time limitations on the available funding, which prevents them from undertaking appropriate design and construction of sustainable infrastructure [39,57].…”

“…Poor understanding of sustainability is a barrier for sustainable construction [37,41,54]. The lack of a common understanding, technical knowledge, skills and expertise, and awareness of sustainability was a significant obstacle to constructing and procuring in sustainable ways in Australia, China, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Norway, Ghana, Nigeria, South-East Asia, Malaysia, Kuwait and Cambodia [16,18,29,[31][32][33][34][41][42][43]45,46,48,50,57].…”

“…Decision makers are unaware or do not have the required information to smart-choose and assess more sustainable design or suppliers [35,43]. The lack of awareness about sustainability provokes a failure to stimulate demand of goods or services beyond minimum compliance with regulations [31], p. 420, [39,57]. Consequently, reluctancy to embrace new sustainable technical knowledge or technology emerges.…”