Análise de barreiras para adoção de critérios sustentáveis na fase de planejamento das contratações públicas municipais brasileiras: um estudo no município de Uberaba

Abstract

Procurement/contracting represents a significant portion of public sector spending, with the power to stimulate innovations that contribute to sustainability. Even at the municipal level, these contracts have a significant contribution to the SDGs of the UN 2030 Agenda. However, few academic studies have focused on the barriers that hinder the improvement of sustainability in the contracting planning phase. Thus, the objective of this research was to identify the barriers that prevent the adoption of sustainable criteria in Brazilian municipal public procurement and to build a matrix of priorities to assist public managers in decision-making. Using the Delphi research method, four questionnaires were formulated and applied to managers of medium and large municipalities. The main barriers identified in the responses were validated with a Content Validation Index (CVI) of 80%. The results highlight that “lack of planning” was cited by 100% of the interviewees. The evaluation of the barriers by the experts allowed the construction of a matrix of priorities, based on the criteria of difficulty and impact of the barriers. It was concluded that the “lack of training of civil servants” is a priority to overcome among all the barriers analyzed. It was identified that the “difficulty in changing habits or organizational culture” is the barrier that is most difficult to overcome and has the greatest socio-environmental impact. Contrary to the literature, the results of the research did not identify any economic barriers. It is expected that the results of the research can encourage public managers to plan actions to combat the barriers, resizing the internal public procurement policy.