Gender-responsive public procurement: strategies to support women-owned enterprises

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to inform strategies to enhance public procurement opportunities for women-owned small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). To do so, the study examines two research questions: To what extent are women-owned enterprises under-represented among SME suppliers to government; and Do barriers to public procurement – as perceived by SME owners – differ across gender? Design/methodology/approach The study draws on the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm and on theories of role congruity and social feminism to develop the study’s hypotheses. Empirical analyses rely on comparisons of a sample of 1,021 SMEs that had been suppliers to government and 9,376 employer firms that had not been suppliers to government. Data were collected by Statistics Canada and are nationally representative. Logistic regression analysis was used to control for systemic firm and owner differences. Findings Controlling firm and owner attributes, majority women-owned businesses were underrepresented as SME suppliers to government in some, but not all sectors. Women-owned SMEs in Wholesale and Retail and in Other Services were, ceteris paribus, half as likely as to be government suppliers as counterpart SMEs owned by men. Among Goods Producers and for Professional, Scientific and Technical Services SMEs, there were no significant gender differences in the propensity to supply the federal government. “Complexity of the contracting process” and “difficulty finding contract opportunities” were the obstacles to contracting cited most frequently. Research limitations/implications The limitations of using secondary analyses of data are well documented and apply here. The findings reflect only the perspectives of “successful bidders” and do not capture SMEs that submitted bids but were not successful. Furthermore, the survey did not include questions about sub-contractor enterprises, data that would likely provide even more insights about SMEs in government supply chains. Accordingly, the study could not address sub-contracting strategies to increase the number of women-owned businesses on government contracts. Statistics Canada’s privacy protocols also limited the extent to which the research team could examine sub-groups of small business owners, such as visible minorities and Indigenous/Aboriginal persons. It is also notable that much of the SME literature, as well as this study, define gender as a dichotomous (women/female, men/male) attribute. Comparing women/female and men/males implicitly assumes within group homogeneity. Future research should use a more inclusive definition of gender. Research is also required to inform about the obstacles to government procurement among the population of SMEs that were unsuccessful in their bids. Practical implications The study provides benchmarks on, and directions to, enhance the participation of women-owned SMEs or enterprises in public procurement. Strategies to support women-owned small businesses that comply with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are advanced. Social implications The study offers insights to reconcile economic efficiency and social (gender equity) policy goals in the context of public procurement. The “policy-practice divides” in public procurement and women’s enterprise policies are discussed. Originality/value The study is among the first to use a feminist lens to examine the associations between gender of SME ownership and public procurement, while controlling for other salient owner and firm attributes.

Gender Heterogeneity and Politics in Decision-Making About Green Public Procurement in the Czech Republic

“…In conceptual terms, we argue that the prevalent understanding of the role of gender in GPP is framed and indeed subsumed by two theoretical standpoints well elaborated by Orser et al (2018) and Orser et al (2021). These are (a) feminist empiricism, which argues that women are disadvantaged; and (b) entrepreneurial feminism, which argues that women can overcome their disadvantage through their own entrepreneurial activity.…”

“…The standpoint of feminist empiricism helps here by pointing out that the limited success of such businesses may be caused by structural barriers and systemic exclusionary dynamics rather than by women's individual features, such as risk aversion or preference for financial caution. The standpoint of entrepreneurial feminism (Orser et al, 2021) concerns how this situation may be redressed. Building on the insight that entrepreneurial ecosystems are dynamic rather than static, entrepreneurial feminism encourages women to launch institutional and entrepreneurial innovations challenging the extant subjugation modalities.…”

“…On the philosophical level, feminist scholarship, such as feminist ethics of care, has long been aware that women may possess superior sensitivity to multifarious sustainability issues tendentiously neglected by neoliberal mindsets, not least in the new public management context (Nelson, 1995(Nelson, , 2006Orser et al, 2021). On the empirical level, the evidence provided by the World Economic Forum (2021b) not only shows that female leadership competencies are superior to the respective male competencies on a number of dimensions, but also clearly links female leadership to enhanced pro-environmental outcomes.…”

“…Putting these philosophical and empirical considerations together, we hypothesize that female engagement constitutes a crucial resource for promoting GPP, particularly in the context of the Czech Republic. We believe that this hypothesis is a much-needed addition to the extant GPP literature that has examined how gender equality can be promoted through GPP, as it has not yet recognized that GPP itself can be promoted through fostering gender equality (e.g., Fazekas et al, 2020;Orser et al, 2021;Sarter & Thomson, 2020).…”

The Role of Micro Waqf Bank in Women’s Micro-Business Empowerment through Islamic Social Finance: Mixed-Method Evidence from Mawaridussalam Indonesia

“…While externally, some strategies are needed to eliminate external obstacles, namely providing access to capital, friendly licensing and infrastructure to microenterprises, and providing policies that are conducive to the growth of micro-enterprises. Including strategies to empower women from a gender perspective (Orser et al 2021).…”