1. How social issues are being addressed through collaboration between stakeholders in sustainable public procurement?

Our Early Stage Research n. 5 Felippe Vilaça Loureiro Santos, from the University of Gävle, explores how social issues are being addressed by collaborative approaches to sustainable public procurement (SPP) in his recently published SAPIENS Working Paper. Analysing the cases of a civil society organisation and a public organisation, he proposes a framework for understanding these collaborative approaches and how they interconnect – building synergy for improving SPP initiatives.

His working paper discusses collaboration models, benefits, and challenges in the context of SPP, including the role of facilitators in establishing collaboration between stakeholders. The working paper also proposed an understanding of interaction arenas formed by the studied collaboration models, including a chain of collaborations that can be a lever for promoting social impact through SPP. The concept of chain of collaborations provides a more complete understanding of the myriad of actors and their connections in a collaborative approach to SPP, contributing to the SPP practice by providing a successful pathway to promote socially responsible public procurement.

Felippe’s working paper contributes to the SAPIENS Work Package 1 – SPP: from the international agenda to actual buying practice.

1.1 Working Paper abstract

Sustainable public procurement (SPP) aims to promote sustainable production and consumption by using governments’ purchasing power as a lever to develop more sustainable business models. Despite an initial focus on environmental issues, there has been growing attention on developing SPP initiatives aimed at tackling social aspects, such as violations of human rights and workers’ rights. Interactions between stakeholders have been proposed as an important element of SPP initiatives, leveraging the potential to develop collaborative approaches; however, within SPP literature, the role and types of collaboration remain underexplored. This working paper considers how social issues are being addressed through collaboration in SPP by analysing the cases of a civil society organisation (Electronics Watch) and a public organisation (Swedish National Secretariat for Sustainable Public Procurement). This research was designed as a multiple case study, collecting data through interviews, secondary data, and direct observation – the data was analysed using Thematic Analysis. The findings of this study explored the collaboration models of Electronics Watch and the National Secretariat for SPP discussing common benefits and challenges, the facilitator role of these organisations, and the interaction arenas formed by each model. The interconnection between these collaboration models showed a chain of collaborations that can be a lever for promoting social impact through SPP. The chain of collaborations adds to the SPP literature by providing a more complete understanding of the myriad of actors and their respective interconnections in a collaborative approach to SPP. Chains of collaboration have to be continuously improved to build meaningful interactions in SPP, based on long-term thinking. 

2. Data collection and SAPIENS secondment

In Felippe’s Working Paper, a multiple case study was used to explore the phenomenon of collaboration in SPP. The case definition and data collection process were linked to the researcher’s secondment arranged by the SAPIENS Network – he worked as a guest researcher in the Electronics Watch, a SAPIENS Partner Organisation. In this secondment, the National Secretariat for Sustainable Public Procurement participated as a sub-host entity, adding another practical perspective to Felippe’s research on collaboration in SPP. The SAPIENS secondments have been a relevant moment for the Early Stage Researchers, when they can connect with SPP experts, practitioners, and experienced researchers.

Felippe Vilaça Loureiro Santos

ESR 5 – PhD Scholar at the University of Gävle

Felippe Vilaça Loureiro Santos, with a B.Sc. in Political Science (University of Brasília, Brazil) and a Master’s in Governance and Development (National School of Public Administration, Brazil), has built a robust career in public procurement. His experience spans sixteen years across various public organisations in Brazil, including the Ministry of Education, the Federal Public Defenders’ Office and the Brazilian Hospital Services Company. Currently, Felippe is a Ph.D. Scholar at the University of Gävle, Sweden, and an Early Stage Researcher at the SAPIENS Network. His research focuses on public procurement, public management, governance, organisations, and sustainability.

A brief explanation of his research is available here.