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

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify drivers and deterrents to sustainable procurement (SP) via field-level inquiry in the context of public sector higher education institutes in an emerging economy like Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach Unstructured interviews guided by the interview guide were conducted. The participants were selected via purposive sampling. A three-step process was carried out for data analysis. The first-order codes were generated from the views expressed by the informants. The descriptive codes (second-order categories) were developed, providing insights into the main factors. These codes helped to generate the third-order themes related to drivers and deterrents of SP. Findings The results reveal that interdepartmental cooperation is the most discussed driver, followed by government regulations. The most noted deterrents include a lack of interdepartmental cooperation, a lack of environmental laws and resistance to change. The participants have highlighted interdepartmental coordination as both a driver if available and a deterrent if not available. Social implications The identified drivers and deterrents shall help the managers and policymakers as a guide while transitioning from traditional procurement to SP. Originality/value With the increased focus of the higher education commission Pakistan on implementing green practices in higher educational institutes, this study proposes the understanding of a systematic and holistic view of SP by proposing a theoretical framework.

Level of awareness and knowledge of procurement officers on environmental sustainability as enshrined in the Public Procurement Act in Ghana

“…Islam et al (2017) stated that there seems to be less attention on the knowledge and awareness levels of key implementers of environmentally sustainable procurement among the public sector in general and specifically with HEIs in developing countries. Shaikh and Channa (2022) confirmed lack of knowledge and training, while Mirza and Kanwal (2017) opined lack of knowledge and low awareness level as deterrent in the implementation of environmental sustainability in HEI. In Ghana, Ayarkwa et al (2020) undertook a study on environmentally sustainable procurement barriers in HEI and corroborated that lack of knowledge and awareness are among the barriers to the implementation of environmental sustainability.…”

The predicting role of sustainable supplier selection on lead-time performance in public procurement: relational capability as a moderator

“…, 2020; Elias and Changalima, 2023; Galán-Valdivieso et al. , 2024; Shaikh and Channa, 2022). When choosing which supplier to engage with, the SSS incorporates environmental considerations (Fan and Kang, 2023; Mousavi and Mousavi, 2023).…”

“…Indeed, selecting the right suppliers is crucial from a strategic standpoint because it impacts the successful adoption of green practices (Guarnieri and Trojan, 2019;Okwu and Tartibu, 2020). Sustainability has become a primary focus for the majority of organizations, customers and their suppliers (Afum et al, 2020;Elias and Changalima, 2023;Gal an-Valdivieso et al, 2024;Shaikh and Channa, 2022). When choosing which supplier to engage with, the SSS incorporates environmental considerations (Fan and Kang, 2023;Mousavi and Mousavi, 2023).…”

Harnessing the value of procurement knowledge and practices for firm performance: A resource orchestration perspective

“…Procurement planning is fundamental to the procurement process, hence any failure in procurement planning might spell doom for using procurement to achieve organisational objectives (Apiyo & Mburu, 2014; Gambo & Musonda, 2021). Shaikh and Channa (2022) succinctly summarises that procurement planning endeavours to answer the questions of the product, the timing, the source and the approach to be employed.…”