Driving Sustainable Supply Chain Management in the Public Sector : The Importance of Public Procurement in the EU

Purpose: This study provides evidence of connections between sustainability policy goals included in public procurement tenders and offers and their achievement through contract award.Design/methodology/approach: Based on extant literature and the inducement-contribution theory, a survey of 281 procurement files from 2007-2009 relating to eight product categories and four EU member states was conducted. Data were analyzed using structured equation modeling.Findings: Findings indicate that public procurement was more effective at influencing socially responsible goals than environmental goals. In terms of supplier readiness, vendors are more progressed in delivering green than socially responsible operations.Practical implications: Public procurement practitioners and sustainability policy makers should consider the use of public procurement as a lever to attain environmental and socially responsible goals. Social implications: Evidence has been provided here to demonstrate that the strategic use of public procurement impacts on environmental and socially responsible goals, thereby benefiting society.Originality/value: This study contributes in three main ways; first, by adding to existing, limited research on the use of public procurement as a lever of policy goals attainment, second, by examining environmental and socially responsible policy in one study, and third, through providing evidence across EU member states