Governança da sustentabilidade em contratações públicas: um estudo do arcabouço teórico institucional nas universidades federais brasileiras

Abstract

The adoption of management practices aimed at reducing environmental impact is essential for promoting sustainable development, and public institutions play a central role in this process due to their ability to influence environmental policies and practices. The general objective of this study is to propose an institutional theoretical framework to enhance sustainable public procurement in Brazil by analyzing organizational factors that influence sustainability management and governance challenges in this context. This qualitative and descriptive research is structured into four chapters and employs bibliometric analysis, document analysis of procurement notices, and a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines. The first chapter contextualizes sustainability in public administration. The second chapter's findings indicate a growth in research on sustainable governance in public administration over the past five years, highlighting it as a global concern. In the third chapter, the analysis of 76 procurement notices from two universities revealed low adherence to sustainable criteria. None of UFSCar's notices fully met the analyzed environmental criteria, and only 20% of UFABC's notices complied with all sustainable requirements. Although procurement processes are considered tools for promoting sustainability in Brazil, their practical application remains limited. The fourth chapter's findings demonstrated that sustainable public procurement is influenced by organizational, legislative, political, and instrumental factors, as well as the training of public agents and the need to integrate sustainability indicators and management models. The lack of coordination between sustainability and institutional planning compromises the effectiveness of these practices. Therefore, an institutional theoretical framework was proposed, incorporating normative and management components, with a holistic approach integrating strategic, tactical, and operational levels of institutional planning.