Document Type : Review Article
Authors
-
Pierre-André Hudon
1
-
Matthew T. Haren
1, 2, 3
-
Jean-Baptiste Gartner
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 3
-
Frédéric Bergeron
7
-
André Côté
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 3
1
Département de management, Faculté de sciences de l’administration, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
2
Centre de recherche en gestion des services de santé, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
3
Centre de recherche de l’Institut de Cardio-Pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
4
Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
5
Centre de recherche du CIUSSS de Chaudière-Appalaches, Québec City, QC, Canada
6
VITAM, Centre de recherche en santé durable, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
7
Bibliothèque-Direction des services-conseils, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
Abstract
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented public healthcare procurement challenges. The objective of this review was to identify and characterise the scope of the literature on public procurement strategies for healthcare supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019 – 2023) in relation to the public procurement contexts, systems, and processes and methods (the public procurement ecosystem) worldwide.
Methods
We performed a scoping review of governmental strategies for the procurement of medical equipment, personal protective equipment (PPE), or medications related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Extracted data were mapped to the fields of the public procurement ecosystem. We used inductive thematic analysis to derive within-field themes, and subsequently, cross-cutting themes through which we structured a narrative synthesis.
Results:
1909 unique studies were identified through a systematic search, of which 89 met the inclusion criteria. One hundred and ten themes were derived from the extracted data within the 21 fields of the public procurement ecosystem, and from these, 10 cross-cutting themes were identified which served to structure the narrative synthesis. It was clear in this literature that the scale and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic required governments to act well outside of the public procurement processes and methods themselves, to procure and distribute the required supplies. Notwithstanding the significant attention to contextual and system-level responses, there were significant responses at the procurement process and methods level, including rapid and temporary expedited procurement processes and longer-term strategic procurement responses.
Conclusion
This scoping review of public procurement strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated a focus of the literature not only on the public procurement processes and methods themselves, but also on governmental actions to adapt both structures of public procurement systems and conditions within broader environmental contexts to facilitate procurement goals.
Keywords
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