The purpose of this paper is to identify drivers and deterrents to sustainable procurement (SP) via field-level inquiry in the context of public sector higher education institutes in an emerging economy like Pakistan.
Unstructured interviews guided by the interview guide were conducted. The participants were selected via purposive sampling. A three-step process was carried out for data analysis. The first-order codes were generated from the views expressed by the informants. The descriptive codes (second-order categories) were developed, providing insights into the main factors. These codes helped to generate the third-order themes related to drivers and deterrents of SP.
The results reveal that interdepartmental cooperation is the most discussed driver, followed by government regulations. The most noted deterrents include a lack of interdepartmental cooperation, a lack of environmental laws and resistance to change. The participants have highlighted interdepartmental coordination as both a driver if available and a deterrent if not available.
The identified drivers and deterrents shall help the managers and policymakers as a guide while transitioning from traditional procurement to SP.
With the increased focus of the higher education commission Pakistan on implementing green practices in higher educational institutes, this study proposes the understanding of a systematic and holistic view of SP by proposing a theoretical framework.
