Sustentabilidade nas compras públicas: pressões institucionais e estratégias para a implementação em instituições federais de ensino superior

Abstract

The enactment of Law No. 14,133/2021 consolidated the obligation to adopt sustainable criteria in public procurement in Brazil, assigning Federal Higher Education Institutions (IFES) a strategic role in promoting responsible consumption patterns. This dissertation aimed to analyze how the institutional context influences the adoption of strategies for implementing sustainable public procurement (SPP) in these institutions. The research, of a qualitative and exploratory nature, was structured into three interconnected articles. The first article, a systematic literature review, identified consolidated environmental, social, and economic criteria, as well as recurring strategies such as training, clear definition of criteria, and the use of certifications. The second article, through a multiple case study conducted in federal universities in the state of Paraná, identified the predominance of coercive pressures and revealed that organizational responses vary between acquiescence and compromise, depending on internal factors such as technical capacity, staff availability, and institutional support. The third article, a case study at the Federal University of Latin American Integration, enabled the proposal of an integrated strategic model structured around four dimensions: knowledge and training, regulatory instruments and guidelines, document formalization, and monitoring. The results indicate that the existence of legal frameworks alone does not guarantee the effective implementation of SPP, which depends on a process of institutionalization that integrates norms, organizational capacities, technical planning, and oversight of contract execution. From a practical perspective, the dissertation provides support for translating the requirements of Law No. 14,133/2021 into effective administrative routines by proposing a strategic model focused on developing technical capacities, operationalizing regulatory guidelines, improving document formalization, and strengthening contract execution monitoring. Additionally, it suggests tools such as internal operational guides, databases of sustainable criteria, and binding checklists, aiming to strengthen governance in sustainable procurement within IFES. From a theoretical perspective, the study contributes to Institutional Theory by demonstrating that the institutionalization of sustainable public procurement does not occur automatically as a result of regulatory advancement but is mediated by organizational conditions that influence how institutional pressures are interpreted and operationalized within IFES.