Navigating the multiple views of value in assessing public procurement

Abstract

Public procurement has gained a heightened role in responding to grand societal challenges. Additional goals besides the more traditional objectives for public procurement have produced conflicts and raised the question of how to assess public procurement comprehensively. In this article, we explore the impact model created for the National Public Procurement Strategy of Finland. We investigate the main positions from where to value and assess public procurement and the key conflicts between the different positions. The national strategy of Finland emphasizes that public organizations should put more weight on secondary policy goals. However, this seems to produce “paradoxes,” as partly contradicting goals are pursued simultaneously. The article shows that it is possible to highlight both the strategic and operational roles of public procurement. However, the existence of the paradoxes is important to take into account in governing public procurement.