Regulating sustainable public procurement in Turkey in the context of the European Union membership

This thesis examines the regulation of sustainable public procurement in the Republic of Turkey in the context of Turkey’s membership negotiations with the European Union. Sustainable public procurement is the procurement whereby contracting authorities take account of all three pillars of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental) when procuring goods, services or works. The thesis aims to clarify whether and to what extent sustainable development concerns can be taken into account under the Public Procurement Act numbered 4734, which is the main legal framework of public procurement in Turkey. Furthermore, it aims to identify possible options for improving sustainable development-oriented public procurement regulation in Turkey. The thesis essentially uses black letter and comparative legal research methods in order to achieve its objectives. This thesis argues that the correlation between public procurement and sustainable development is strong in the EU, whereas such a correlation shows a weak profile in Turkey. In that regard, this thesis proposes the rules that need to be improved for establishing a sustainable public procurement system in Turkey, taking into account the local dynamics of the Turkish public procurement system, and in the context of the membership negotiations with the EU. This thesis argues that the existence of a clear mandate for sustainability concerns, putting forward a strong political backing, establishing a coherent institutional framework and laying down a consistent and clear legal framework and an effective enforcement/remedy system are the essential peripheral conditions for promoting sustainable public procurement in Turkey. [CD-ROM accompanying print thesis contains text in PDF form.