SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT:

ANALYSIS OF FIVE SHARED EXPERIENCES IN FEDERAL INSTITUTIONS IN BRAZIL

Abstract

This study aims to verify whether it is possible to generate economic, social and environmental gains in shared public purchases based on the analysis of five shared experiences in federal institutions in Brazil. The article addresses the issue of shared government procurement as an instrument capable of fostering sustainable development through consumption patterns that include sustainability criteria in public procurement. Data collection was based on documentation survey and participant observation by one of the authors, who was involved with all shared hiring. Data analysis was built from the particularities to the general themes and interpretations made by the researcher. The multiple case study research method carried out demonstrated that it is possible to reconcile economic, social and environmental gains in purchasing processes in an incipient market, but which has been progressively responding to the demands for sustainable products. Furthermore, it was identified that the behavior of leaders is a fundamental element in the process of including sustainability criteria in public procurement. This research can contribute to the literature on sustainable public procurement, in view of the lack of research that addresses in more depth the sustainable procurement carried out in a shared way. This research can even bring practical contributions to managers and public servants, as the findings arising from the cases studied and from the literature allow enriching government programs, plans and projects with technical subsidies that stimulate initiatives and investments aimed at sustainable shared hiring.