Broader and more intensive sustainable public procurement: a legitimacy theory perspective

Abstract

Public organizations increasingly engage in sustainable public procurement (SPP), but their efforts vary. Analysing 1,346 Dutch public tenders, we explore the applicability of legitimacy theory to explain how the visibility of procurement actions affects SPP efforts. We find that the use of third-party certificates is positively associated with SPP efforts, indicating that there is no box-ticking behaviour. SPP efforts are also increasing in tenders that are more valuable and publicly visible. Finally, SPP efforts correspond with the organization’s publicly stated SPP-commitments. The findings support legitimacy theory: public buyers strengthen SPP efforts when their actions are visible and sustainability is well regarded.