Public procurement constitutes a strategic instrument through which the state may influence economic dynamics by directing resource allocation and supporting socio-economic development. Beyond mere administrative procedures, it reflects governance choices aimed at promoting priority sectors, innovation, the green transition, and institutional capacity building. The significant volume of public funds involved enables multiplier effects such as stimulating domestic demand, generating employment, and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises. This paper offers an integrated analysis - objective, through data and regulatory frameworks, and subjective, through institutional perceptions - regarding the role of public procurement within the national economic architecture. It highlights both the potential to foster sustainable economic growth and competitiveness, and the inherent risks: market distortions, lack of transparency, or administrative inefficiency. The analysis encompasses three interdependent dimensions: commercial (market functioning and competition), managerial (efficiency of public sector decision-making and operations), and economic development (macroeconomic and regional impact). The study concludes with a conceptual model balancing efficiency and transparency as a premise for modernizing the procurement system.
Adrian Bacos (2025) studied this question.