The Art and Science of Procurement: Revisiting Leonardo da Vinci Editorial of the IPSERA 2019 Conference Special Issue

Abstract The IPSERA 2019 conference called for papers examining ‘the Art and Science of Procurement’ to explore the breadth of procurement research in a time of increasing focus on science and the scientific method. Taking a systems approach, a conceptual framework of procurement is presented as a multi-level field of study embracing art and science. Selected papers from the conference are summarised and positioned in the framework to explore how procurement research takes both art and science perspectives. This editorial concludes that, in the spirit of the IPSERA 2019 conference hosted in Milan on the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death, revisiting more eclectic, holistic thinking might benefit the field of procurement to encourage both art and science in future research.