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.

Citation

Shaikh, A.R. and Channa, K.A. (2022), "Drivers and deterrents of sustainable procurement practices – an exploratory study in context of Pakistani HEIs", Journal of Public Procurement, Vol. 22 No. 4, pp. 289-313. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOPP-02-2022-0006