A lifecycle analysis of complex public procurement: an agency-institutional theory perspective

Forster, Rick, Lyons, Andrew ORCID: 0000-0003-3105-1567, Caldwell, Nigel, Davies, Jennifer ORCID: 0000-0003-1683-220X and Sharifi, Hossein ORCID: 0000-0002-8948-1036 (2024) A lifecycle analysis of complex public procurement: an agency-institutional theory perspective. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, ahead- (ahead-).

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Abstract

<jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title><jats:p>The study sets out to demonstrate how a lifecycle perspective on complex, public-sector procurement projects can be used for making qualitative assessments of procurement policy and practice and reveal those procurement capabilities that are most impactful for operating effectively.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title><jats:p>Agency theory, institutional theory and the lifecycle analysis technique are combined to abductively develop a framework to identify, analyse and compare complex procurement policies and practices in public sector organisations. Defence is the focal case and is compared with cases in the Nuclear, Local Government and Health sectors.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title><jats:p>The study provides a framework for undertaking a lifecycle analysis to understand the challenges and capabilities of complex, public-sector buyers. Eighteen hierarchically-arranged themes are identified and used in conjunction with agency theory and institutional theory to explain complex procurement policy and practice variation in some of the UK’s highest-profile public buyers. The study findings provide a classification of complex buyers and offer valuable guidance for practitioners and researchers navigating complex procurement contexts.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title><jats:p>The lifecycle approach proposed is a new research tool providing a bespoke application of theory by considering each lifecycle phase as an individual but related element that is governed by unique institutional pressures and principal-agent relationships.</jats:p></jats:sec>

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Generic health relevance
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Management
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	10 Apr 2024 07:50
Last Modified:	10 Apr 2024 08:09
DOI:	10.1108/ijopm-07-2023-0608
Related URLs:	Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3180248