Sustainability in Digital Service Procurement Practices of Higher Education Institutes in Finland

Abstract

This research examines how sustainability is incorporated into digital service procurement processes in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Finland. The study investigates current digital service procurement practices, identifies key drivers and challenges related to sustainable procurement, and explores how the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) influences procurement-related decision-making in Finnish HEIs. Sustainable procurement (SP) in HEIs has been widely studied internationally, and prior research highlights persistent challenges related to resource constraints, organizational structures, leadership, competencies, and motivation. However, research focusing specifically on the Finnish context and on digital service procurement in particular remains limited. To address this gap, this study provides a contemporary overview of sustainability considerations in digital service procurement within Finnish HEIs and proposes development approaches, including the conceptual ALIGN framework, to support more systematic and sustainable procurement practices. The research employs qualitative methods, consisting of semi-structured interviews and a survey conducted with employees working in Finnish HEIs. The findings reveal challenges similar to those identified in prior literature, including the lack of clear sustainability guidelines, the absence of a comprehensive sustainability-oriented procurement strategy, limited sustainability-related competencies and motivation, and fragmented procurement practices across organizations. These findings point out the need for more coherent governance structures and practical tools to support sustainable digital service procurement in higher education.