About Us

Foundations of IRSPP

The International Research Study was founded in 1992 by two eminent scholars: Professor Jan Telgen and Professoressa Christine Mary Harland. Jan Telgen was Emeritus Professor of Public Procurement at the University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands, for over 30 years. Jan’s research focused on the efficient use of public procurement methods to be both effective and achieve policy goals. Jan has had an overwhelming impact on public procurement in academia through publications, the initiation and organisation of conferences, and supervising PhD research projects and students on other courses.

Christine Harland is from Birmingham, UK, and spent time in some of the top business schools, including Warwick Business School, University of Bath, and Cardiff Business School before gaining the titles of Gianluca Spina Chair in Supply Strategy and Full Professor at Politecnico Di Milano, Italy. Christine’s research focused on supply strategy and how public procurement can be used as a lever for government reform.

Jan and Christine leave behind a legacy of inspiration, kindness, and mentorship that will resonate with many of us for many years to come. Those of us who had the pleasure of working with Jan and Christine will appreciate how they are equally blessed with a balance of humour and wisdom, and we are incredibly grateful for their relentlessly generous support. One cannot underestimate the huge impact and value they have brought to the field of public procurement by bringing together senior procurement professionals and academics from different countries to learn from each other, creating a special research environment that compares similar policy initiatives across the various countries.

Meet the current research team.