Development of sustainability in public sector procurement

Abstract

Public organizations are increasingly adding environmental and social aspects in their strategic agendas. This paper focuses on the actors and factors that influence the speed of implementation of sustainability initiatives. Four healthcare organizations in The Netherlands were studied. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with top management, budget owners and procurement professionals. Although top management assigned strategic importance to sustainability initiatives, budget owners had the final say in implementation. Procurement professionals had very little influence on the implementation process of sustainability.

Keywords:

• Healthcare
• public procurement
• stakeholder theory
• sustainability

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Cees J. Gelderman

Cees J. Gelderman is Associate Professor of Marketing and Purchasing Management in the Faculty of Management, Science and Technology, Open University, Heerlen, The Netherlands.

Janjaap Semeijn

Janjaap Semeijn is Professor of Supply Chain Management in the Faculty of Management, Science and Technology, Open University, Heerlen, The Netherlands.

Rob Vluggen

Rob Vluggen is Procurement Manager at Koraal Groep, The Netherlands.