Modelling sustainability in a procurement system: An experience report

Sustainability is one of the main driving forces in our society. IT can also contribute to sustainable development, which goes beyond the energy consumed to produce and run the software product. The development of social-technical systems can have a significant impact on the sustainability of its surroundings. A particular type of system with considerable sustainability impact are procurement systems. They normally affect the three pillars of sustainability: social, economic and environmental. This paper describes an experience on using goal modelling to incorporate sustainability into the procurement system of a large multinational energy company. The study highlights the advantages and challenges of introducing sustainability into private procurement systems, as well as the suitability of the technique for such a purpose. We believe this experience and its resulting model can be useful to other companies wishing to implement sustainable procurement processes.