Sustainable public procurement in a Brazilian higher education institution

Abstract

Public policies have required public agencies to adopt sustainable public procurement. It is necessary to understand the importance of the requirement for sustainable purchases to happen. Thus, this study aims to examine the main difficulties in adopting SPP at a public university in Brazil. To that end, research on the topic was carried out based on critical theory using qualitative methodology through a case study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three groups selected intentionally: requesters, purchasers and suppliers. Aspects related to the understanding of sustainability, SPP and the relationship between ethics and sustainability were analysed. The study revealed that the interviewees understand that ethics is directly related to the practice of sustainability, but it is a difficult issue because of its historical roots and changes in paradigms. Due to the complexity of the SPP theme, one of the main implementation difficulties mentioned by the interviewees was the lack of training. For suppliers, the understanding of sustainability was already consolidated, but it required agreement between being sustainable and economically viable for the company. Thus, this work sought to expose how those involved in SPP understood, refuted or validated sustainability issues in government procurement. Previous studies revealed the difficulties and conceptions of buyers, but we did not find research that investigated requesters and suppliers. It is hoped that this information will serve actions in favour of sustainable production and consumption and as a basis for other studies on sustainable public procurement.

Brazilian federal universities and their sustainable practices based on sustainable logistics management plan

“…Finally, Sustainable Procurement and Contracting were the least frequently mentioned. Regarding this, Mendonça et al (2021) have conducted qualitative research using semistructured interviews with solicitors, buyers and suppliers of a Brazilian FU. The authors report that while the interviewees understood that ethics are directly related to the practice IJSHE 24,4 of sustainability, it is a difficult issue because of its historical roots and changes in paradigms.…”

“…Mori Junior et al (2019) highlighted how campuses can lead, for example, in terms of operational excellence and use the campus as a test bed for innovation. Campus operations generally cover physical operations/facilities management (Leal Filho et al , 2021), including energy efficiency (Leal Filho et al , 2019b; Salehi et al , 2015; Silva et al , 2019; Soares et al , 2015), transport and greenhouse gas emissions (Idundun et al , 2021; Robinson et al , 2015; Li et al , 2021), water management (Campos et al , 2022; Marinho et al , 2014; Velazquez et al , 2013), waste management (Rissato et al , 2018; Merger et al , 2018) and ethical procurement (Kihara et al , 2019; Leal Filho et al , 2019a; Mendonça et al , 2021). However, most studies are conducted at universities in developed countries and studies in Latin American countries are lacking (Leal Filho et al , 2021).…”

Investigating Ethics in Government Procurement: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…In the context of South America, 14 relevant works were identified, highlighting the contribution of Brazil with six documents. Within this collection, there is the study of (Mendonça et al, 2021), which highlights the close relationship between ethics and the practice of sustainability, although it recognizes the complexity inherent in this topic due to its historical foundations and the associated paradigmatic changes. It is noteworthy that Brazil is positioned as the only country in the region present in the classification of scientific productivity on the subject, occupying thirteenth place in the ranking derived from the bibliometric analysis of Scopus, and leading in South America in this aspect.…”

Drivers and deterrents of sustainable procurement practices – an exploratory study in context of Pakistani HEIs

“…The literature identifies several deterrents to SP varying from country to country and industry to industry (McMurray et al , 2014). These deterrents may include a lack of environmental laws/regulations (Saroha et al , 2019; Zaidi et al , 2019); lack of governmental support/benefit (Wontner et al , 2020; Zaidi et al , 2019); deficient law enforcement agencies (Walker and Preuss, 2008); lack of suppliers availability (Delmonico et al , 2018; Islam and Siwar, 2013); lack of suppliers capacity and willingness (Ahsan and Rahman, 2017; Zaidi et al , 2019); lack of consumer preferences/pressures (Ahsan and Rahman, 2017; Zaidi et al , 2019); lack of management commitment (Saroha et al , 2019; Zaidi et al , 2019); resistance to change (Saroha et al , 2019); lack of funding for research (Leal Filho et al , 2019; Saroha et al , 2019); lack of green practices/policies (Ahsan and Rahman, 2017; Wontner et al , 2020); and lack of training programs (Ayarkwa et al , 2020; Belisari et al , 2019; Mendonça et al , 2021).…”