PPRG Projects
Bibliography on Public Procurement Law and Regulation
The original edition of this bibliography was produced by the EU Asia Inter University Network for Teaching and Research in Public Procurement Regulation in 2011 with the financial assistance of the European Union. The EU Asia Inter University Network for Teaching and Research in Public Procurement Regulation was led by University of Nottingham (Project leader: Professor Sue Arrowsmith QC (Hon)) and the other consortium members were Copenhagen Business School, the University of Copenhagen, the Central University of Finance and Economics (Beijing), Xinjiang University, and the University of Malaya.
The bibliography is now operated and updated by the Public Procurement Research Group (PPRG), University of Nottingham, with funding from Achilles Information Ltd, the sponsor of the PPRG. Significant assistance with the bibliography and its updating has also been provided by Stellenbosch University and University of Laverne.
The current version was updated in 2019 and covers the period up to the end of 2018 other than the material for the USA, for which updates are still pending.
The content of the material is the sole responsibility of the members of the consortium involved in the EU Asia Inter University Network for Teaching and Research in Public Procurement Regulation and other assisting parties and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.
Download the Bibliography on Public Procurement Law and Regulation
Cultural Heritage, Aid and Public Procurement: Rising from the Depths Project
Professor Annamaria La Chimia, School of Law, is part of a team that has won a £2 million Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) four-year grant to help East African communities better understand and benefit from marine cultural heritage.
The team, led by Dr Jon Henderson, University of Nottingham, will conduct research on coastal infrastructure developments in East Africa, exploring ways in which local communities can engage with heritage for educational, social, and economic development. The interdisciplinary project will last four years and will apply an innovative methodology based on a Theory of Change and grounded on the Human Rights Approach to Development.
Annamaria will lead and coordinate the Development Law aspects of the research linking her expertise on development aid, public-private partnership and public procurement with those of the archaeologists, anthropologists, cultural historians and environmental scientists members of the team.
The project aims to transform the way people understand, use and perceive marine cultural heritage as well as the way coastal development projects are executed in Africa.
The project, Rising from the Depths: Utilising Marine Cultural Heritage in East Africa to Help Develop Sustainable Social, Economic and Cultural Benefits, is a joint initiative led by the University of Nottingham, in collaboration with the Universities of Roehampton, York, Ulster, Bournemouth, Uppsala (Sweden), and Eduardo Mondlane (Mozambique).
A call for appointing postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, support staff and an online platform and project website are coming soon. If you are interested in knowing more about the project and get involved please contact annamaria.lachimia@nottingham.ac.uk
This page will no longer be updated as the official Asia Link Project website has been launched, however, you can find out more about this project.
Professor La Chimia and Professor Lucciarini are leading a project on Sustainable Food Procurement for Schools, which is a project financed by the BA-Leverhulme Trust. You can find out more about this project on our video page, which features the Professors explaining the importance of food procurement for schools, and how states can foster children's human rights via their purchasing programmes. They also talk about the equality atlas which they are developing, and the impact this can have on future food purchasing programmes.
Dr Aris Georgopoulos is leading the team of procurement experts of a collaborative project (consortium with the University of Sheffield and the tech start-up Vamstar) funded by Innovate UK. The consortium will use artificial intelligence (AI), big data, deep learning, and natural language processing (NLP) to create a virtually real-time picture of the procurement market(s) conditions in healthcare connecting buyers and suppliers across the healthcare and life sciences industries in a more efficient way.
In Vitro Diagnostic Test Procurement During the Covid-19 Panedemic: Lessons Learnt and Recommendations
Dr. Luke Butler, Head of the UK Public Procurement Unit within the University of Nottingham’s Public Procurement Research Group, conducted an analysis of the UK Government’s procurement of Covid-19 diagnostic tests during the pandemic which has found a high incidence of direct awards (when a contract is awarded to a contractor without advertising and competition), leading to questions about transparency and value for money.
The findings are reported in a White Paper published in May 2023. The paper examines how test kit contracts were awarded, technically validated for use, and approved for placement on the market as part of the Government’s Test and Trace strategy.
The paper, commissioned by the British In Vitro Diagnostic Association (BIVDA), identifies a number of issues, lessons learnt and recommendations. It credits the Government for procuring and approving PCR and lateral flow tests for public and private use, thereby helping to rapidly mobilise the Test and Trace strategy. However, the paper highlights the need for, among other things, a more formal Government–industry supplier forum for UK diagnostics to ensure industry can react to, and bid for, contract opportunities.
Dr Butler outlines that many contracts were awarded quickly, without competition, where processes for award were not always clear. Further, many test kits failed validation. In addition, whilst certain manufacturers were exempt from full regulatory approvals, many became subject to a new burdensome approvals regime for private tests. All of these aspects are likely to have impacted on the market for supply. Dr Butler identifies that it was not always clear to industry what was required, and how to meet requirements in procurement, validation and approvals processes.
The White Paper includes a series of clear recommendation to the UK Government that will facilitate the use of competitive procurement systems, even in emergencies.
Procurement and Human Rights
Professor Annamaria La Chimia and Dr Aris Georgopolous, from the PPRG, University of Nottingham, are conducting research on Procurement and Human Rights, investigating how procurement can be used to protect and foster Human Rights.
Find out more about the project.
Procurement Law Academic Network
The PLAN Network - Procurement Law Academic Network - is a permanent global network of academics (professors, researchers etc) interested in public procurement law and regulatory policy.
The Network welcomes members working in any relevant discipline eg. law, economics, business management, public policy and political science. Membership of PLAN and access to its facilities are FREE and are open to all who meet the relevant criteria.
For more information, please visit the PLAN website.
The PLAN Network has been funded through the European Commission's Asia Link Programme, as part of the project for an EU-Asia Inter-University Network for Teaching and Research in Public Procurement Regulation.
The project consortium is led by The University of Nottingham (UK); other consortium members are Copenhagen Business School (Denmark), Central University of Finance and Economics (China), University of Malaya (Malaysia) and Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics (China).
Public Procurement in Africa
The PPRG has recently launched a research and capacity-building project on public procurement in Africa, supported by an award of £29,762 from the British Academy (Principal Investigator - Sue Arrowsmith). The project will be undertaken in collaboration with Professor Geo Quinot and Professor Phoebe Bolton of the University of the Stellenbosch, South Africa, who will also work with Sope Williams and Dr Annamaria La Chimia of the PPRG at Nottingham.
Find out more about this project.
Single Sourcing During the Covid-19 Pandemic
You can find out more about sourcing and procurement during the Covid-19 pandemic on our videos page.
Sustainability in Healthcare Procurement post Covid-19
Dr Aris Georgopoulos is the academic lead of a consortium, funded by Innovate UK, which will develop a novel assessment framework for procurement, incorporating, sustainability, supplier diversity and supply chain security criteria which will improve procurement capabilities in healthcare during the post Covid-19 recovery. View more information about the project.