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This study's purpose is to collate data on the existing Green Public Procurement (GPP) legal policies, frameworks and initiatives at the global level and, second, to identify the conditions required for implementing green procurement practices and programs in developing countries such as India. A structured literature review was conducted using the search terms ‘Green Public Procurement’, 'Policy’ and ‘India’. Reports, technical papers and articles in a language other than English were excluded from the search. Finally, 20 papers were shortlisted and reviewed. The study found that GPP has begun taking shape globally and necessitates capacity building at many levels, including knowledge sharing, sourcing resources, fiscal re-distribution and public awareness. National governments emerge as key players in facilitating sustainable procurement, while international bodies continue to develop prospective policy frameworks. However, GPP is at its nascency in India and will require significant pre-assessment and planning to standardize itself among big and medium enterprises. While GPP allows for environmental consciousness, its use in India also presents the potential for innovation and expanding the consumer market. Its establishment requires the government to implement a centralized body that directs GPP activity, incentivizes green technology and develops policies favouring multi-level collaboration. Further research can involve in-depth interviewing of key people in Public Procurement (PP) processes to gauge the preparedness and seriousness of the government to undertake green procurement and understand the inherent challenges in transitioning to more sustainable procurement modalities.

Previous literature reviews mainly focus on green supply chain, however, there is surprisingly little effort made in the systematic literature review to focus on a specific function of green supply chain, i.e. green procurement (GP). Regarding research methodology, most reviews are qualitative and inductive generalizations. Quantitative methods such as bibliometrics have started to be applied in recent years. This paper responds to this trend by counting the largest amount of literature with 238 articles in the last 24 years from 2000 to 2023 to visually analyze different theoretical perspectives and research topics into a comprehensive framework and identify future research directions and opportunities in the GP field.

Based on CiteSpace and in-depth content analysis, this paper attempts to visually analyze 238 valid papers to identify key literature and analyze the evolution of research hot spots and frontier development trends.

Combined with the visualization results and the content analysis of key references, we identify key literature and examine the evolution of research hotspots and frontier development trends. The bibliometric analysis mainly includes knowledge mapping to identify key themes, co-occurrence and clustering analysis of keywords, cooperation networks in researchers' countries. An overall GP research model is presented and our research suggests future avenues for GP research, such as low carbon, digitalization, servitization and ecosystem perspectives.

Firstly, in terms of time and volume of literature, we have counted the most comprehensive and up-to-date literature in the field of GP research, which is conducive to further expanding and enriching GP research. Secondly, this study clearly describes the theoretical evolution of GP research from bilateral and multilateral to ecosystem perspectives, and constructs a new and comprehensive research framework of “driver-practice-outcome”. Thirdly, based on the bibliometric analysis results, our research suggests future avenues for GP research, such as low-carbon, digitalization, servitization, and ecosystem perspectives, which can contribute to expanding our understanding of GP development.

The objectives of this study are twofold. Firstly, this study aims to examine the challenges of green public procurement (GPP) involvement among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) government suppliers. Secondly, it investigates the differences in the perceived challenges between the small- and medium-sized groups of companies.

The study draws on the quantitative method. The questionnaire was distributed to SMEs that supply green goods or services to the government and which are listed in the MyHijau directory. Using convenience sampling, a total of 394 questionnaires were distributed and 126 usable questionnaires were received, representing a response rate of 31.98%. A descriptive analysis of the mean score, standard deviation and mean score ranking was used to analyse the overall results. The t-test analysis was carried out to examine the differences between the small- and medium-sized groups of companies.

All five categories of the barriers, i.e. financial, legal, people, knowledge and organizational challenges, are perceived as the important challenges for SMEs’ involvement in GPP. Of the five categories, “having lack of knowledgeable staff on GPP” under the category of “people” challenge is ranked as the most major barrier. In relation to the differences between the two groups of enterprises (small- and medium-sized), medium enterprises are more affected by two items under the “organization” challenge, i.e. “The company has not targeted suppliers that promote environmentally-friendly products/services” and “The company has not established a clear objective on purchase of green products and services”, as compared to the small-sized enterprises through their GPP involvement.

By understanding the difficulties faced by SMEs in engaging with GPP, various practical measures can be formulated to support the SME businesses in mitigating the challenges faced for their involvement with GPP, which subsequently will lead to the country’s target to reach the sustainable development goals.

This study extends empirical evidence on barriers or challenges that may hinder the involvement in government green procurement, with a specific focus on SME government suppliers.

The importance of sustainable public procurement is growing in many countries and industries, including higher education institutions (HEIs) in China. However, in China, the practice of sustainable public procurement is currently limited due to various reasons. This study aims to identify the main challenges faced by Chinese HEIs when it comes to sustainable public procurement. The identification of the challenges encountered by HEIs in sustainable public procurement practices not only has practical significance in terms of improving efficiency, sustainability, competitiveness and guiding policymaking but also has theoretical significance in terms of enriching the knowledge body, facilitating the dissemination of sustainability and supporting international comparative research. To identify these challenges, the study gathered data from a small sample of procurement supervisors, experts and commissioners in HEIs using the Delphi method. The study concludes that Chinese HEIs can address the challenges of sustainable public procurement through measures such as fundraising, technology and equipment upgrading, supply chain optimization, regulatory compliance and raising awareness and providing training.

To pinpoint the challenges of sustainable public procurement faced by HEIs in China, this study began by obtaining data from a small sample of procurement supervisors, experts and commissioners in HEIs who are knowledgeable about the issue through the Delphi method. Secondly, the collected challenge factors were also subjected to a literature review to identify the most common challenges in recent papers published around the world. Thus, it was possible to assess the relationship between the challenges mentioned by researchers in China and other countries.

The main challenges faced by HEIs in China in implementing sustainable public procurement are the focus on economic efficiency, the experience and awareness of procurement staff, policy ambiguity as well as culture, management mechanisms and leadership attitudes in the organizations. The study concludes that Chinese HEIs can effectively overcome the challenges of implementing sustainable public procurement through a variety of measures, including fundraising, technology and equipment upgrading, supply chain optimization, regulatory compliance and awareness raising and training.

Some limitations should be considered in this study. Judging by the sample size, it is clear that the results of the study are limited. Although the number of experts involved in the study is required, caution should be exercised when generalizing the results, as this may not be representative of the entire population. In future studies, the use of a larger sample size could be considered to overcome this problem. Related to this limitation is the uneven geographical distribution of the sample, and this study only considered the situation of HEIs in Jiangsu Province, China, which is not representative of the national region.

The practical significance can be seen in two aspects. First, accurately identifying challenges can help HEIs optimize the implementation of their sustainable purchasing policies, leading to more efficient resource allocation and reduced unnecessary resource consumption. Second, by addressing these challenges, HEIs can better fulfill their social role in sustainable development, contributing to the triple bottom line of the economy, environment and society. Implementing sustainable procurement strategies not only enhances the social image of HEIs but also attracts a broader student base and financial support, ultimately improving their competitive position in the education market. A deeper understanding of these challenges provides policymakers with a basis to develop a more operational and targeted policy framework to support sustainable procurement in HEIs.

This study succeeded in answering two research questions that provide practical implications for public procurement practitioners, researchers and policymakers. Although HEIs in China do not practice sustainable public procurement at a high rate, however, with the spread of sustainability and environmental awareness, more and more HEIs are beginning to realize the importance of sustainability and are gradually taking it into account in their procurement.

The findings of the study not only significantly enrich the existing body of knowledge on sustainable public procurement, but also support the selection of challenge variables that must be addressed first to facilitate the application of sustainable procurement in China’s HEIs.

This paper investigates the impact of green construction procurement practices (GCPPs) on circular economy (CE) success by identifying environmentally sustainable procurement practices that can promote a CE in the construction industry. The goal was to promote circularity in construction through GCPPs.

A quantitative research approach was adopted and purposively selected 100 respondents for a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Data from the questionnaire survey were analysed using mean score ranking, One-sample t-test and regression analysis.

The study found that using on-site systematic waste management, project stakeholder commitment and support for green practices and environmental requirements in technical specifications, significantly impact CE success in construction, with a 12.8% variance in CE when green procurement is practised. This implies that GCPPs have positive repercussions on CE success, where the CE success is expected to change as GCPPs levels increase.

The study provides insights into green procurement, promoting its use in infrastructure development and aiding clients, particularly in the government sector with insights into the challenges and practices involved in green procurement. Practitioners can also benefit from better implementing CE strategies to draft and manage contracts for infrastructure projects that prioritize circularity.

The limited impact of GCPPs on advancing CE principles in construction suggests policy and practice must strengthen procurement requirements to fully leverage spending and drive the sector’s transition towards a circular model. Also, novel insight is provided into the most effective types of GCPPs for promoting CE success, aiding policymakers in optimizing construction procurement strategies.

This study evaluates how well Victorian local councils’ procurement policies align with the sustainable and circular economy (CE) approach that prioritises sustainable and regenerative practices. It proposes a set of criteria designed to effectively integrate environmental sustainability issues into purchasing policies.

Employing the Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic and Time-bound (SMART) framework, a multi-dimensional content analysis guided by the goal-setting theory was applied to evaluate all 79 Victorian local councils’ procurement policies. This approach provided an assessment of policy specificity, measurability, assignability, realism and time sensitivity in promoting environmental sustainability through purchasing policies.

The findings underscored a significant deficiency in policy adherence to all SMART criteria concerning environmental sustainability, hindering the effective green purchasing decisions within government entities. This lack of integration of greening in purchasing policy poses challenges for manufacturers of waste-derived goods, obscuring the procurement objectives of these critical public sector customers.

The paper contributes to the sustainable procurement (SP) discourse by proposing guidelines aimed at improving the efficacy of governmental purchasing of sustainable products. These guidelines address the broader imperative to mitigate the environmental impacts of governmental spending on less sustainable goods, thereby fostering ecological sustainability and promoting responsible consumption.

While past studies have often relied on subjective content analysis methods, the SMART assessment used to develop the environmental sustainability criteria for purchasing policies, which distinguishes this study from previous governmental policy evaluation studies. This approach marks a departure from traditional governmental policy evaluation studies, offering a more structured analysis of policy effectiveness in promoting SP practices.

This study attempts to uncover the nonlinear relationship between public procurement and corporate total factor productivity (CTFP), and investigates the mediating roles of R&D investment and rent-seeking cost. Additionally, it conducts a heterogeneity analysis for firms with varying levels of political connections and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Employing Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Olley-Pakes (OP) methods, the authors gauge CTFP and manually identify government customers to quantify public procurement. Leveraging panel data from Chinese listed companies, this study explores the relationship between public procurement and CTFP.

This study unveils a U-shaped relationship between public procurement and CTFP, highlighting R&D investment and rent-seeking costs as potential mechanisms. Furthermore, it identifies heterogeneous effects among companies with varying levels of political connections and CSR on the relationship between public procurement and CTFP, including their mediating effects.

This research enhances understanding of demand-side policies and provides crucial insights for the government to further improve public procurement policies.

By offering empirical evidence of how public procurement impacts CTFP, this paper enriches the literature on the behavioral repercussions of public procurement and the determinants of CTFP. It also overcomes the “black box” of the mechanism between public procurement and CTFP, based on the government’s dual role as a pathfinder and customer of enterprises. It broadens the application scenarios of institutional theory and principal-agent theory. Additionally, the heterogeneity analysis of firms with varying political connections and CSR extends the frontiers of related research.

With increasing concerns regarding the performance of public procurement, especially concerning timely delivery, this study aims to investigate the predictive role of sustainable supplier selection (SSS) in enhancing lead-time performance in public procurement, while also examining the moderating effect of relational capability.

The study collected primary data from 179 accredited public organizations in Tanzania through structured questionnaires and used partial least squares structural equation modeling for data analysis.

The results reveal that SSS and relational capability influence lead-time performance in public procurement. Regarding the moderating effect of relational capability, the study establishes that relational capability strengthens the influence of SSS on lead-time performance. Therefore, based on the collected data from surveyed public organizations, relational capability positively moderates the relationship between SSS and lead-time performance in public procurement.

The study offer valuable implications for public procurement practitioners, academics and other stakeholders. Public organizations should consider contemplate integrating sustainability aspects into supplier selection processes. Furthermore, the study contributes to advancing efforts toward achieving sustainable development goals (i.e. SDG12) within Tanzania, particularly by advocating for sustainable public procurement practices aligned with national policies and priorities.

This study not only enhances the understanding of public procurement performance by investigating lead-time improvement, incorporating considerations of SSS and relational capability, but it also offers empirical evidence of the moderating role of relational capability within the unexplored Tanzanian context.

This study aims to assess the awareness and knowledge level of procurement officers (POs) in Ghanaian tertiary educational institutions regarding sustainability in general and specifically on environmental sustainability in the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) as amended.

Through purposive sampling technique and face-to-face interviews using semi-structured open-ended questions, qualitative data was collected from 19 POs who are well vested in the procurement profession and willingly agreed to partake in the research. The qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis technique to help organize and elicit meaning from the data collected and to draw realistic conclusions from it.

The results showed that most POs were aware of the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) as amended, primarily through seminars and workshops organized by the Public Procurement Authority. The interviewees demonstrated a good understanding of sustainable procurement, considering its social, environmental and economic aspects. However, one respondent primarily associated sustainability with only environmental issues. The POs were, however, of the view that the Amended Act 914 (2016) does not give detailed highlights on environmental sustainability, making implementation very difficult, especially regarding the procurement of goods. Overall, the findings indicate a positive level of environmental sustainability awareness and knowledge among the interviewed POs regarding the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) as amended.

The findings from the study could be used by policymakers to strategize educational campaigns by using the POs’ knowledge and awareness to the implementers of Act 663 (2003) as amended to effectively ensure environmental sustainability in procurement practices. The findings from the study have also contributed to the literature on procurement policy by drawing the attention of policy formulators to give equal attention to all the sustainability pillars, i.e. social, economic and environmental. This would consequently help the implementers to contribute to achieving sustainable development.

This study is one of the few empirical qualitative types of research seeking the views of POs in tertiary educational institutions in Ghana on sustainability and environmental sustainability as enshrined in the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) as amended. The findings give positive feedback to policymakers on the knowledge and awareness level of the POs on environmental sustainability and highlight the importance of awareness programmes and educational initiatives by the Public Procurement Authority and other stakeholders to ensure compliance with the Act.

The construction industry is a major contributor to global carbon emissions. This study investigates the role of procurement and contracting methods in carbon emission reduction (CER) in the construction industry. It also examines artificial intelligence’s (AI’s) potential to drive low-carbon practices, aiming to identify transformative policies and practices.

This study employed a qualitative methodology, engaging in semi-structured interviews with nine industry professionals alongside an innovative engagement with Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) technology to gather insights into procurement and project delivery methods (PDM) role in CER. The study involved identifying patterns, organizing themes, and analyzing data to extract meaningful insights on effective policies and strategies for CER in the construction industry.

The results underscore the importance of early contractor involvement and integrated PDM for CER in construction. Results emphasize the pivotal role of project owners in directing projects toward sustainability, highlighting the need for client demand. The research identifies cost constraints, limited material availability, and human resource capacity as key barriers in the US. The study proposes innovative materials, financial incentives, education, and regulatory standards as effective interventions. It also explores the future use of AI in enhancing CER, suggesting new avenues for technological integration.

The study provides empirical insights into the role of procurement and PDM in CER within the US construction industry by using qualitative approach and use of a GPT. It underscores the interplay between contracting methods, stakeholder engagement, and AI’s emerging role, for enhancing policies and practices to decarbonize the US construction industry.