The article substantiates public procurement as the most important function of the state to meet the needs of public sector entities, ensuring the continuity of production of public goods. It is shown that in addition to this function, procurement contributes to the implementation of other goals of the state, for example, since 2014 in Russia they are focused on import substitution, the implementation of a new industrial policy, and currently 13 new national projects are being implemented. A comparative analysis of the theoretical foundations of public procurement and a number of empirical studies of various authors and organizations proving the existence of a conflict between the established institutional and legal foundations of public procurement and their adequate observance by customers and bidders is carried out. This allowed us to conclude that there is a need for systematic professional development of public procurement specialists, both as a result of continuous changes in legislation and inadequate qualifications (knowledge) of purchasers.
