Smart city multi-modal transportation: theoretical procurement framework for delivering societal benefit

Culture, governance and procurement remain misunderstood within both academic and business research, particularly within a smart city transportation perspective. However, persuasive arguments are beginning to permeate through local governments with procurement being at the forefront of change to effect sustainable business models. This paper firstly undertakes a systematic literature review (SLR) of current academic thinking within the sphere of procurement models to effect sustainable transport change within public authorities, identifying existent gaps allied to best in class thinking in the field of smart cities. It [methodology] then undertakes an empirical review of data from the UK Government (Department for Transport (DfT)) ‘Network Northamptonshire’ project of innovative commissioning of multi-modal public/private transportation. The outputs of the SLR and empirical study are compared and contrasted to deliver a theoretical model of ‘social enterprise transport procurement’, a horizontally aligned and sustainable public-private solution permitting creation of holistic transportation procurement that not only meet the needs of ‘users’, but further conveying societal benefit in creating a paradigm of ‘Mobility as a Societal Service’ (MaaSS). Finally, the paper highlights the disconnect between the constructs of a smart city and conurbation requirements, with the authors supporting the need for further research in the area of smart cities allied culture, governance and procurement through the framework in order to convey the wider smart city concept and continue the sharing of best practice to bring about economic and socially connected conurbations.