Advancing the Sustainability Development Goals Through Workforce Professionalization in Public Procurement: The Case of Lebanon

A capable public sector workforce is essential for sustainable development. In public procurement, the ability of procurement reform to support Sustainable Development Goals depends on a workforce with the competencies and professional standing needed to translate reform into administrative practice. Drawing on Institutional Theory and strategic PHRM, this study examines how workforce professionalization in public procurement is being constructed and institutionalized in Lebanon under Public Procurement Law No. 244 of 2021. Using a document-based qualitative case study, the study analyzes legal documents, technical reports, competency frameworks, and training materials produced between 2020 and 2025. The findings show that workforce professionalization in public procurement advanced through competency frameworks, certification initiatives, and professional training systems. However, workforce professionalization remains unevenly embedded across the civil service system. The study contributes to strategic public HRM and procurement governance scholarship and offers insight into workforce professionalization in governance-constrained settings in the Global South.