Enabling sustainable construction in UK public procurement

Sustainable construction is about achieving a balance between the social, economic and environmental aspects of construction so that the costs and the benefits, evaluated along these three dimensions, are optimised. Whereas official reports published in the UK have reflected the increasing emphasis on addressing sustainability principles in procurement, the literature suggests that there has been relatively little research on sustainable procurement in the public sector. The aim of this paper is to provide an agreed, comprehensive and evidence-based research into the factors that enable UK public clients to better address sustainable construction in developing procurement strategies. Seeking triangulation, the investigation was conducted using a Delphi exercise and semi-structured interviews/discussions which involved sustainability professionals and experts. As a result, 41 factors considered to be important for UK public clients to better address sustainable construction in developing procurement strategies were identified. These were categorised into knowledge and perception factors, organisational and management factors, political and regulative factors, logistical factors, contractual factors, instrumental factors, strategic factors and financial factors.