The relationship between sustainable procurement and e-procurement in the public sector

This study examines the relationship between sustainable procurement and e-procurement, two recent initiatives in public procurement in many countries. A survey of sustainable procurement and e-procurement adoption was conducted with a sample of over 280 public procurement practitioners from 20 countries and with collective responsibility for expenditure totalling $45 BN. Using multiple regression, we develop a model to show that e-procurement and communication with suppliers supports some types of sustainable procurement, and hinders others. E-procurement and communication with suppliers may help environmental, labour, health and safety aspects of sustainable procurement. Conversely, e-procurement may hinder buying from small local firms that are not e-enabled. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.