Multidimensionality of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP)—Exploring Concepts and Effects in Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe

Abstract

Strategic objectives in public procurement, such as environmental or social considerations, are being increasingly referred to under the umbrella term of sustainable public procurement (SPP). The concept of sustainability is intrinsically multidimensional, encompassing environmental, social, and economic aspects. However, the existing literature on SPP highlights the generalization that the regulation and practices of public procurement are biased toward the environmental dimension. There is conflicting evidence from countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that calls for further investigation. Analyzing how SPP is actually constituted in SSA and contrasting it with the situation in the European Union (EU), as a spotlight on the Global South and North, contributes to a better understanding of sustainability in public procurement. The comparative analysis will help with understanding processes related to the integration or disintegration of sustainability dimensions in SPP. Our results indicate a contrary orientation on the environmental and the social dimensions in the EU and SSA. Although there is no sign of a comprehensive integration of all dimensions in SPP, there are developments toward the integration of the ‘missing’ dimension in the respective regional setting. Thus, at the moment, achieving a multidimensional implementation of SPP appears to be more a matter of expanding SPP practices of the ‘missing’ dimension than of pushing for integrated concepts.

Compras Públicas Sustentáveis: Uma Revisão Sistemática

“…Como as ações locais são decididas espontaneamente, é preciso que a cadeia de decisão de cada instituição seja permeada por conhecimento, competência técnica e motivação para a efetiva implementação de processos de CPS. Isto começa com o interesse dos gestores e continua abrangendo todos os agentes da organização, difundindo-se os benefícios relacionados às práticas sustentáveis (LĂZĂROIU et al, 2020;COUTO, RIBEIRO, 2016;SOARES et al, 2018;STOFFEL et al, 2019). Observa-se que é necessário adotar políticas de divulgação entre os servidores da própria Instituição Pública e, para isto, o papel dos gestores é imprescindível (ARAÚJO, 2016;AGYEPONG et al, 2017;FUENTES-BARGUES et al, 2016).…”

Public food procurement for sustainable food systems and healthy diets - Volume 1

“…6 Examples explored in this publication include Denmark, France, Italy and Scotland, where public food procurement initiatives are anchored into specific SPP policy frameworks (see Chapters 2,7,13,18,20,26 and 27). In these countries, SPP has been most commonly associated with environmental concerns, with a more recent and progressive integration of other social and economic concerns (UNEP, 2017) (see also Stoffel et al [2019] for a broader discussion on the integration of the different dimensions of sustainability in SPP in Europe and sub-Saharan Africa).…”

Green and Sustainable Public Procurement—An Instrument for Nudging Consumer Behavior. A Case Study on Romanian Green Public Agriculture across Different Sectors of Activity

“…The gap in this field has been identified in the measures by which agriculture can comply and respects consumers' preferences for healthy products. Ecolabels are seen as a legitimate tool to mitigate the consequences in the public procurement supply chain for the entire life of the cycle of product development (resource acquisition, manufacture, packaging, and transportation, use, end-of-life) [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] The impact of GPP on Healthcare Services…”

“…These three dimensions of sustainable development through economic and social perspectives and environmental impact are also found in the 17 interconnected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nation's Agenda 2030 [20] and they need to be adopted, implemented, and evaluated continuously, depending on the international, national and regional context. At the same time, they can be included in the general terms of sustainable public procurement (SPP) [21]. Neto (2020) analyzes in a study the current practices regarding public procurement of food and food services in the EU.…”