Symbolic compliance with policy-led public procurement: decoupling practices and compliance barriers

Public procurement holds significant potential as a policy tool, yet its implementation by public organisations faces numerous barriers and challenges, resulting in partial implementation. This research investigated the behaviour of public organisations in terms of symbolic compliance with procurement policies and examined the barriers they encounter in achieving compliance and policy goals. The research adopted an abductive qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with stakeholders of specific policy-led public procurement related to purchasing consulting services in Iran. Two types of symbolic compliance behaviours were identified: policy-practice decoupling (i.e., a disconnect between policy processes and implementation) and means-ends decoupling (i.e., a misalignment between policy objectives and outcomes). Moreover, two categories of compliance barriers emerged: internal (efficiency-related) and external (institutional). The findings provide insights into the design of effective procurement policies that align with policy objectives, with a specific focus on developing countries.