How E-Procurement Systems Shape Sustainable Public Procurement in the U.S. and Japan

• In Event: Relational Public Procurement

Abstract

This study examines how the comprehensiveness of e-procurement systems influences sustainable public procurement. Although governments worldwide increasingly adopt e-procurement to enhance efficiency and transparency, prior research has not fully explored how the scope of system functionalities, its comprehensiveness, affects sustainability objectives. This research addresses three critical gaps. First, it distinguishes between adoption and effective use of e-procurement systems, emphasizing how system design shapes public procurement decision-making. Second, it investigates whether comprehensive systems enable governments to pursue multiple sustainability objectives, such as reducing carbon emissions and waste, while balancing competing procurement priorities. Third, it evaluates how national policy contexts—specifically, the presence or absence of national-level sustainable procurement policies—moderate these relationships. Drawing on large-sample data from local governments in the United States and Japan, this cross-national comparative study tests whether organizational factors, such as openness to innovation and financial standing, condition the influence of e-procurement comprehensiveness on sustainable public procurement activities. The findings advance theory by linking digital system design to sustainability-oriented governance and provide actionable insights for policymakers and public managers seeking to leverage e-procurement technologies to integrate sustainability more effectively into procurement decisions.

Authors

• Yifan Chen, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
  Presenting Author

• Nicole Darnall, American University
  Non-Presenting Co-Author