Sustainable Public Procurement as an Instrument for Sustainable Development: An Exploratory Study of Local Government Areas in Low-Income Countries

Sustainable public procurement is recognised as an essential part of sustainable development, striving to reconcile and account for public expenditures on goods and services across different contracting authorities to achieve public procurement objectives. While the contribution of the sustainable public procurement sector is receiving growing attention in developed societies, the role of sustainable public procurement is quelled in developing communities. Numerous studies have examined the role of public procurement in promoting sustainable development within local government areas in the Western context. Regardless, there is no empirical study of this nature in developing countries. Therefore, this study explores the multifarious mechanisms through which local government authorities in low-income countries, such as Nigeria, employ their public procurement functions to foster sustainable development that encompasses economic, social, and environmental benefits. Design/methodology/approach: The study reviewed policy documents and practitioner documents on public procurement and sustainability available through the Bureau of Public Procurement, which is the designated commission for public procurement in Nigeria. Adopting a qualitative approach, thirteen local government areas were utilised to explore the challenges and opportunities for addressing sustainability imperatives through public procurement. Using semi-structured interviews, this study conducted 24 interviews with public procurement professionals to gain in-depth knowledge of the extent to which sustainability is incorporated into current public procurement practices and how sustainable public procurement can be utilised as an instrument for sustainable development. Findings: This study confirmed some of the challenges reported in the literature. In addition, the study identified contextual factors, including a lack of autonomy, nepotism, the absence of e-procurement, reluctance to change, and the lack of rule of law, that contribute to the challenges of achieving sustainable public procurement in Nigeria.