A systematic literature review about social procurement: unveiling and redefining the different social procurement typologies

Social procurement (SP) leverages purchasing to generate social outcomes but suffers from conceptual fragmentation and a buyer-centric bias. This Systematic Literature Review applies Furneaux and Barraket’s (2014) framework to map SP typologies, outcomes, and beneficiaries. Findings show that indirect social clauses (Type 2) and allocations to social enterprises (Type 3) dominate, often merging into hybrid configurations (e.g., Type 2+3). While employment and training are primary outcomes, the specific needs of vulnerable groups remain poorly understood. This study reduces fragmentation by linking procurement modalities to beneficiary clusters, recommending future contingency analyses to validate these relationships.