Project procurement management: A structured literature review

Selecting the right supplier for an assignment, as well as evaluating this supplier's performance while the contract is being implemented, plays an important role in ensuring a good project outcome. In this context, this paper presents the results of a systematic literature review of the criteria and the methods used in the phases of selecting and evaluating suppliers in projects, as given in papers published from 1973 to 2015. The papers were classified into categories in accordance with the type of project and the phase of the procurement process, investigating what criteria and methods are the most widely used for selecting suppliers and evaluating the performance of suppliers in projects. The results have revealed that the procurement process may have to consider new perspectives, such as client/supplier relations, due to the importance of having partnerships with suppliers that meet organizational needs.