Beyond Self-Reporting: Insights into Sustainable and Circular Public Procurement in Dutch tender documents

This paper investigates trends in sustainable and circular procurement in Dutch public procurement from 2016-2024, focusing on their evolution across various product groups. Unlike prior studies relying on self-reported data, we use objective, structured data from over 100,000 tender documents published on TenderNed, the Dutch public procurement platform. By applying quantitative coding and pattern analysis, we can examine the impact of key events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and policy shifts on procurement practices. The research addresses two main questions: (1) How have sustainable and circular procurement practices evolved? (2) What is the relationship between sustainability and circularity in tenders? Our findings identify trends and external factors influencing procurement priorities, providing insights for policy and practical guidance for public procurement professionals. This study contributes a data-driven methodology to the field and advances understanding of how procurement can promote social outcomes like sustainability.