Paper info

INNOVATIVE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT PRACTICES – LESSONS LEARNED FROM HOME NURSING PROCUREMEN

Outi Keränen

The paper was published at the 32nd IMP-conference in Poznan, Poland in 2016.

Public procurement triggers and promotes innovation, but this requires rethinking of the public procurement process and making it responsive for innovation. The purpose of this study is to understand how innovative public procurement practices are implemented by exploring the activities of innovative public purchasing and how these activities influence the interface between public and private organizations. The activities of innovative public purchasing are explored qualitatively in a home nursing procurement setting. The findings of this study increase the understanding of innovative public procurement practices by identifying the key activities, including defining and justifying procurement goals, activating and challenging private organizations, assisting private organizations, designing and managing collaboration, and shaping markets, to reinforce innovative public purchasing. Furthermore, the findings contribute to the literature on interorganizational relationships by illustrating how innovative public procurement practices engender collaboration and partnering between public and private actors. The study gives initial insights for managers of public and private organizations desiring to experiment innovative public procurement practices.