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Public Procurement Research Students' Conference

Recent conference

10th Public Procurement Research Students Conference, 30 November-1 December 2023

The Public Procurement Research Group (PPRG) at the University of Nottingham (UK) is pleased to announce it will host their 10th Public Procurement Research Students Conference on 30 November-1 December 2023. The event will be held in person (although online provision might also be available depending on the circumstances).

This conference is aimed at research students of all levels, not only in law but also in any discipline whose research touches on issues affecting procurement regulation in a broad sense. PhD students have the opportunity to meet fellow academics from all around the world, and receive some input on their papers by academic staff of the PPRG and other invited academics.

At this stage we welcome expressions of interest from PhD students wishing to submit a paper and present it at the conference. Interested students are invited to send a brief indication (one paragraph) of their area of research and the proposed subject of their paper to Paula Faustino by 30 June 2023.

Papers may present the subject of the PhD as a whole, or specific aspects of it. They should be between 4.000 and 6.000 words. The submission date for the papers is 30 October 2023.

Only PhD students presenting papers will be allowed to attend the conference, for which a £50 non-refundable fee is due by 30 September 2023 (includes tea and coffee breaks and lunches on both days of the conference).

Anyone interested in participating should contact Paula Faustino.

Past conferences

9th Public Procurement Research Students Conference, 7-9 December 2021

The Public Procurement Research Group (PPRG) at the University of Nottingham (UK) held the 9th Public Procurement Research Students Conference on 7-9 December 2021

The following 18 PGR students presented their research projects on public procurement:

1. "Comparative analysis of transposition of Article 56(3) of Directive 2014/24/EU in EU Member States" by Džeina Gaile (University of Latvia)
2. "Public Procurement in the U.S. Federal Government and the European Union: Hidden Non-Tariff Barriers that May Obstruct Transatlantic Commerce" by Dan Schoeni (University of Nottingham)
3. "The role of financing in the qualification of the public contracts" by Andra-Catalina Iftemie (University of Bucharest, Romania)
4. "Insights on parallel framework agreements in public procurement law" by Magdalena Socha (University of Copenhagen)
5. "Procuring Nature-based Solutions - Public Procurement for a climate-neutral continent" by Federica Muscaritoli (University of Copenhagen)
6. "Diligent tenderer in the E.U. public procurement law" by Kadri Härginen (University of Tartu, Estonia)
7. "Data protection and protection of trade secrets vs. transparency and access to information in Romanian public procurement disputes: friends or foes?" by Laura Farca (Babeş-Bolyai University, Romania)
8. "Decentralised ethics: the emergent role of blockchain in eliminating bad actors and realising trust and transparency in public procurement" by Brian Sanya (University of Nottingham - prospective)
9. "Community engagement and enforcement of procurement rules initiatives (Force Accounting Procedure Mechanism) in public works contracts at local government level: evidence-based qualitative survey" by Charlie Kalinzi (Makerere University, Uganda)
10. "How the UK public procurement rules on multi-supplier framework agreements are interpreted, applied and supplemented by contracting authorities in the UK" by Steven Brunning (University of Nottingham)
11. "Public Procurement Cases in Ireland: What has twenty years of Judicial Review decisions taught us? A statistical review of public procurement processes that resulted in court action" by Laura Broomfiled (University of Nottingham)
12. "Is the UNCITRAL Model Law of 2011 sufficient to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in Emergency Procurements in CARICOM Member States? The Case of Jamaica during the Covid 19 Pandemic" by Tiffany Adams (Open University, UK)
13. "Relative price evaluation methodologies in the housing sector: what are the issues?" by Rebecca Rees (University of Nottingham)
14. "The fossil fuel industry in the era of climate change. A legal appraisal of the Mozambican case" by Lea di Salvatore (University of Nottingham)
15. "Public security and essential security interests’ derogations under EU-wide public procurement law in the context of increasing Euroscepticism" by Mirella Lechna (Univeristy of Nottingham)
16. "French and German Public Procurement Law since the 2014 European Guidelines" by Isabelle Noll (University of Toulouse, France)
17. "Just Transition in Silesia with the help of green and social public procurement" by Aleksandra Klefas (University of Silesia, Poland)
18. "The definition of the (social) subject matter of the contract" by Eva Savvidi (Democritus University of Thrace, Greece)

Discussants comprised Carina Risvig Hamer (University of Copenhagen), Gian Luigi Albano (University LUISS, Italy), Anna Gorczynska (University of Lodz, Poland), Albert Sanchéz Graells (University of Bristol), Geo Quinot (University of Stellenbosch, South Africa), Kirsi-Maria Halonen (University of Lapland, Finland), as well as the academic staff members of the PPRG.

The conference was held online, due to covid restrictions, but still proved to be an excellent opportunity for public procurement PGR students to meet their fellow colleagues from around the world and exchange knowledge and experience.

8th Public Procurement Research Students Conference, 20-21 September 2018

The Public Procurement Research Group (PPRG) at the University of Nottingham (UK) held the 8th Public Procurement Research Students Conference on 20-21 September 2018.

This conference was aimed at research students of all levels, not only in law but also in any discipline whose research touches on issues affecting procurement regulation in a broad sense. PhD students had the opportunity to meet fellow academics from all around the world, and receive some input on their papers by academic staff of the PPRG and other invited academics.

7th Public Procurement Research Students' Conference, 8-9 September 2016

Venue: School of Law, The University of Nottingham

This conference was aimed at research students of all levels, not only in law but also in any discipline whose research touches on issues affecting procurement regulation in a broad sense. PhD students had the opportunity to meet fellow academics from all around the world, and receive some input on their papers by academic staff of the PPRG and other invited academics.

6th Public Procurement Research Students' Conference, 28-29 April 2014

Venue: School of Law, The University of Nottingham

The PPRG has hosted another conference where 16 research students had the chance to present their research projects on public procurement and to meet fellow researchers from all over Europe and as far away as South Africa.

Discussants comprised Dr Andrea Sundstrand (Stockholm University, Sweden), Professor Peter Kunzlik (University of East Anglia, UK), Professor John Linarelli (Swansea University, UK), Dr Albert Sanchez Graells (University of Leicester, UK), Dr Mari Ann Simovart (University of Tartu, Estonia), Professor Martin Trybus (University of Birmingham, UK), as well as the academic staff of the PPRG. 

5th Public Procurement PhD conference, 12-13 September 2011

Venue: School of Law, The University of Nottingham

The PPRG has provided another opportunity for more than two dozen PhD students from all around the world to present their research at the fifth Research Students' Conference on Public Procurement.

Discussants' comments and other input were provided byDr Albert Sánchez Graells (University of Hull),Dr Sylvia de Mars (Newcastle University),Dr Pedro Telles and Dr Ama Eyo (both from Bangor University), as well as by the PPRG members Professor Sue Arrowsmith, Dr Ping Wang and Dr Aris Georgopoulos.

Funding for the event was provided through the generous funds given by the Group’s sponsors, Achilles Information and Bevan Brittan LLP.

4th Public Procurement PhD conference, 7-8 September 2009

Venue: School of Law, The University of Nottingham

More than 25 PhD researchers from all over Europe and as far afield as Brazil presented their work at the fourth Research Students' Conference on Public Procurement hosted by the PPRG earlier this month, reflecting the enormous an increasing interest in public procurement regulation as a subject of academic research.

Discussants’ comments and other input were provided by Professor Peter Kunzlik (City University), Professor Geo Quinot (University of Stellenbosch), Dario Casalini (University of Turin) as well as by academic staff of the PPRG. Comments and discussion covered issues of both methodology and substance, providing many delegates with useful feedback for focusing or progressing their work.

Funding for the event was provided through the generous funds given by the Group’s sponsors, Achilles Information, Bevan Brittan LLP and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.

3rd Public Procurement PhD conference, 21-22 June 2007

Venue: School of Law, The University of Nottingham

On 21-22 June the Public Procurement Research Group in the School of Law hosted a highly successful conference for PhD students undertaking research on aspects of public procurement regulation. 17 researchers from all over Europe and as far as South Africa made presentations of their work, based on short papers submitted in advance.

Papers covered a wide range of topics, ranging from specific practical issues, such as electronic auctions and competitive dialogue under the new EC directives, to more general perspectives, such as use of soft law in procurement trade agreements, and the use of public/private law concepts to address problems of state contracting. Whilst most delegates were working within Law Schools, several came from other disciplines, such as social policy and economics, and projects involved a range of research methods, including qualitative and quantitative studies on the impact of legal regulation, as well as doctrinal legal research. Discussants’ comments were provided by academic staff of the PPRG and other invited academics, with session finishing with a general discussion. Comments and discussion covered issues of both methodology and substance, providing many delegates with useful feedback for focusing or progressing their work.

Funding for the event was provided through the generous funds given by the Group’s sponsors, Achilles Information and Bevan Brittan LLP.

2nd Public Procurement Research Students' Conference, 19-20 June 2003 

Download the programme

1st Public Procurement Research Students' Conference 13-14 September 1999

Download the programme