Evaluation of sustainable public procurement in Spanish Universties. A focus on canteen services
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11369810 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Karen Valls-Val (Universitat Jaume I), Valeria Ibáñez-Forés, Valeria Ibáñez‐Forés (0000-0001-9047-0097, Universitat Jaume I), M D Bovea (0000-0002-8261-8693, Universitat Jaume I, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 112 |
| Pages | 107818 |
| Publication date | 2025-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Impact Assessment Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0195-9255 • E-ISSN: 1873-6432 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.eiar.2025.107818 |
| OpenAlex | W4406789522 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 16 |
Universities play a key role in the transition towards sustainable and circular models. Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) is a useful policy tool to mitigate the environmental impact of products and services, while also creating social value for the community. In this context, the aim of this study is to assess the SPP criteria that Spanish public universities are currently implementing in their tendering processes, focusing specifically on canteen services, due to their high consumption of products and considerable generation of waste. For this purpose, the tenders under analysis are selected and, for each tender, the criteria included are identified and classified according to their type (mandatory, award and tie-breaking) and their related-aspect (technical, economic, environmental and social). In addition, the weighting given to the award criteria is identified and the relationship between tender criteria and EC-GPP criteria is analysed. The results show a gradual integration of new criteria included in the tenders related to sustainability (SPP), with social criteria taking precedence over environmental features. Although these aspects are mainly included as mandatory criteria, they represent a minor factor of the weighting during the award process. Moreover, in the majority of cases, the recommendations and criteria proposed by the EC-GPP are not considered. Therefore, research is needed to achieve a balance between technical-economic and environmental-social aspects. • Spanish universities integrate SPP criteria in canteen tenders, focusing on social aspects. • Tenders prioritise mandatory criteria, with technical and social aspects being the most common. • EC-GPP criteria are often not included in Spanish university tenders, indicating a gap. • Economic criteria dominate the award process, overshadowing environmental and social aspects. • Recommendations: Include SPP in all tender stages, balance criteria, and train procurement staff
Business · Economics · Environmental economics · Environmental planning · Focus (optics · Procurement · Environmental Science · Public Procurement and Policy · Recycled Aggregate Concrete Performance · Recycling and Waste Management Techniques · Marketing
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| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |