Green Procurement in Construction: Analysis of the Readiness Level and Key Catalyst among Construction Enablers

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurazri Razali ◽  
◽  
Natasha Khalil ◽  
Asmah Alia Mohamad Bohari ◽  
Husrul Nizam Husin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Kuala Lumpur ◽  
Implementation Framework ◽  
Green Procurement ◽  
Readiness Level ◽  
The Government ◽  
Valley Area

In the concern of sustainability and increasing awareness of environmental degradation, the Malaysian government has promoted numerous initiatives on green growth and green procurement (GP) to maintain and minimize the ecological effects in construction. However, this initiative is still in the infancy stage as to date, there is no specific guideline delineated to the construction industry, and it has yet to be enforced by the government to the construction practitioners. In construction, green procurement is a new area, and immediate actions are needed upon the principles, guidelines, and policy and implementation framework. Hence, this research aims to analyse the readiness level, barriers, and key catalysts among construction enablers towards adopting green procurement in the construction industry. Questionnaires were distributed to 102 construction enablers, focusing on quantity surveying firms in the Klang Valley area (Kuala Lumpur and Selangor), and 87 returned the responses. The analysis uses descriptive statistics via mean score, and the standard deviation was used to measure the variables and the mean's dispersion. It is revealed that the consultants are ready to adopt green procurement. However, GP's implementation's top challenges are lack of internal expertise, low awareness about green procurement, and lack of established best practices, standardized procedures and guidelines. It can be summarized that promoting GP and its implementation requires government support in policies, initiatives, and incentives. As the current practice is fragmented, ideally, GP's adoption in construction projects needs to conform to the acceptable standards that enable specific provisions to acquire eco-friendly sustainable construction.

scholarly journals Implementing Sustainable Construction Principles and Practices by Key Stakeholders

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nnamdi Maduka ◽  
David Greenwood ◽  
Allan Osborne ◽  
Chika Udeaja
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Reduction ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Industry Needs

The term äóÖsustainable constructionäó» is used to highlight the responsibility of the construction industry in attaining sustainable development (SD). With the increasing necessity for resource efficiency and climate change adaptation, there is a need for construction key stakeholders to implement sustainable principles and practices in construction projects. In the UK context, engaging in such action will facilitate the government target of 80% greenhouse gas reduction by 2050 and also be a potential source of competitive advantage in the future. The aim of this study is to examine how the industry values and promotes sustainable principles and practices in construction projects. A quantitative research method was adopted in order to reach a wider audience in the industry. An online questionnaire survey was used to collect data. The key finding from the survey is that the level of construction industry promotion of sustainable principles and practices is less than it should be. The outcome of the survey suggests that the industry needs to strategise on how to champion and promote the implementation of sustainable principles and practices at a greater level if the industry is to contribute to the global quest for SD.

Roles of Contractors in Implementing Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC) in Construction Projects

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (S1) ◽  
pp. 53-69
Author(s):  
Mohd Shazreen Seman ◽  
Mohd Reza Esa ◽  
Mohd Reeza Yusof
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Technical Committee ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Industry Standard ◽  
The Government ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys

In recent decades, the construction industry has been widely criticized for its lack of efficiency and productivity, and it has been shown that the Malaysian construction industry records poor quality on its projects. To overcome this issue, the Technical Committee on Quality Assessment in Construction with the support of the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) has introduced Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC). QLASSIC is a scoring system that is used to assess and evaluate the performance of construction buildings. It is based on the Construction Industry Standard (CIS 7:2006). Unfortunately, this assessment system had poor implementation since its introduction in November 2006. QLASSIC was not extensively implemented and was taken lightly by the contractors and developers in Malaysia. There are still a huge number of contractors that are not aware of QLASSIC even the big construction companies. Thus, this research is aimed at investigating the contractor’s perspective towards the implementation of QLASSIC in the construction industry in Malaysia. Three objectives are developed to achieve the aim: (1) identification of the needs to implement QLASSIC; (2) investigation of issues and challenges to implement QLASSIC and (3) recommendation of strategies to implement QLASSIC. Structured questionnaire surveys were distributed to the G7 and G6 contractors in the Klang Valley area; which may have or may not have experience in implementing QLASSIC in their projects. The result revealed that majority of the respondents were aware and understand the needs of QLASSIC implementation, but there were still few who were unfamiliar with the QLASSIC. The current level of implementation of QLASSIC in Malaysia is still not satisfactory due to several issues and challenges acting as barriers to its implementation. Therefore, the initiatives from the government are important to promote QLASSIC implementation in the construction industry. By doing this, the contractors would be aware of the implementation of QLASSIC in the construction industry. The significance of this research is that it will assist contractors and other construction players in comprehending the implications and importance of QLASSIC implementation.

scholarly journals Studying the methods for determining and maintaining sustainability of a construction firm

2018 ◽  
Vol 251 ◽  
pp. 05017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azariy Lapidus ◽  
Ivan Abramov
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Construction Operations ◽  
Resource Potential ◽  
Efficient Organization ◽  
Scientific Problem ◽  
Construction Firms ◽  
Construction Firm ◽  
The Government

Against the backdrop of the economic crisis and the complicated international situation, the government pays great attention to reforming the construction industry, creating the conditions for adapting construction firms to the existing situation and associated entrepreneurial and production risks. Concurrently, as the ever-increasing competition places higher requirements on potential participants in construction projects under state-financed and municipal contracts, new laws and regulations are being developed and improved, and bidding rules are systemized and optimized to help select the most reliable contractors resistant to various impacts. The purpose of this paper is to describe the term “sustainability of a construction firm” and to set the tasks of research into the ways of increasing sustainability of construction firms based on efficient organization of construction operations and up-to-date production and labor technology. The scientific problem suggested for review lies in ensuring guaranteed sustainability of construction firms amid uncertainties of construction operations. This paper focuses on research into and the methods for determining a correlation between sustainability of a construction firm and its resource potential that depends on a number of diverse factors.

Framework for Sustainable Procurement - Identifying Elements for Construction Works

2020 ◽  
Vol 897 ◽  
pp. 245-249
Author(s):  
Reini Wirahadikusumah ◽  
Muhamad Abduh ◽  
Yunita Messah
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Government Agency ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Sustainable Procurement ◽  
The Government ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Construction Works

Sustainable procurement has been considered an opportunity for improving the environmental performance of the construction industry. The development of sustainable procurement in Indonesia is still in its initial phase. Therefore, a framework is needed to establish an outlook to explore the enablers and barriers for promoting sustainable procurement in the construction industry. In the formulation of the framework, the first step is to identify the important elements. The approach was explorative-descriptive. Based on ISO 20400, as the guidelines for sustainable procurement, and literature on sustainable procurement for construction works, a list of elements was gathered. In-depth interviews were conducted to identify the most significant elements for the Indonesian construction public procurement context. Respondents included procurement experts from the government agency, (i.e., the National Public Procurement Agency and the Ministry of Public Works and Housing), academics, and procurement specialists who are the members of the Indonesian Procurement Professionals Association. Results suggest that all elements contained in ISO 20400 are relevant with the kinds of literature on construction works; also, Indonesian respondents agreed with all the identified elements ranging from “important” to “very important.” This finding will be subsequently used to further understand the complex cause-effect relationships among the important elements in developing the framework for sustainable construction public procurement.

scholarly journals An Application of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for Sustainable Procurement of Construction Equipment: Multicriteria-Based Decision Framework for Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Waris ◽  
Shrikant Panigrahi ◽  
Abdullah Mengal ◽  
Mujeeb Iqbal Soomro ◽  
Nayyar Hussain Mirjat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Construction Equipment ◽  
P System ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Sustainable Procurement ◽  
Selection Framework ◽  
Hierarchy Process

Sustainable procurement is an emerging theme in the construction industry across the globe. However, organizations in the construction industry often encounter impediments in improving environmental performance in construction projects, especially in procurement. Besides its other facets, procurement of construction equipment is inherited to be capital-intensive and vital for managing environmental concerns associated with built environment projects. In this regard, selection criteria in such procurement processes are generally supportive of considering cost and engineering specifications as key parameters. However, sustainability apprehensions in today’s Malaysian construction industry have mounted pressure on industry professionals to rethink their equipment acquisition strategies. The notion of green or sustainable procurement is still infancy for the Malaysian construction industry and facing challenges for embedding it in the current procurement practices. This research aims to address these apprehensions by considering six main criteria, namely, life cycle cost (LCC), performance (P), system capability (SC), operational convenience (OC), environmental impact (EI), and social benefits (SBs), and their 38 subcriteria towards procurement of sustainable construction equipment. A multicriteria-based equipment selection framework on the triple bottom line of sustainability in the context of the Malaysian construction industry has been developed and tested. The application of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) established the sustainable procurement index with a consistent sensitivity analysis results. As such, the proposed procurement index shall help decision-makers in the process of the acquisition of sustainable construction equipment in Malaysia.

AN ENTROPY-BASED STUDY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PREFABRICATION IN ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter S. P. Wong ◽  
Luke Edmonson ◽  
Michael Phillip Kanellopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Carbon Materials ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Construction Process ◽  
Industry Survey ◽  
Ranking Analysis

Prefabrication has been widely adopted in the construction projects in recent years. It has also been advocated as a greener and more sustainable approach of project delivery. However, with a wealth of evidence supporting other reasons as the drivers of using prefabrication, it is questionable whether the real goal of prefabrication is to achieve sustainable construction. This study aims to investigate the roles of prefabrication in fostering sustainable construction. The effectiveness of prefabrication on fostering sustainable construction was evaluated on the five aspects enlisted by the UK’s Green Construction Board: Waste, Water, Carbon, Materials, and Biodiversity. An industry survey was conducted in Melbourne, Australia for data collection. 200 questionnaires were sent via email or post to a variety of fields within the construction industry. Entropy ranking analysis was adopted to analyze the effectiveness of using prefabrication in construction. The results suggest that prefabrication is effective in reducing construction waste and sourcing energy efficient materials. However, the utilization of prefabrication was found unsuccessful in reducing carbon emissions during the construction process. It is suggested that proactive actions should be taken at the design stage to unleash the potential of prefabrication in construction.

Kazakh policymakers seek growth in non-oil sectors

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Oil Prices ◽  
Oil Field ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Large State ◽  
East And West ◽  
The Government ◽  
Improve Access ◽  
Debt Levels

Significance The modest GDP increase is attributed to government support for the economy as well as steadier oil prices and the launch of production at the Kashagan oil field. Low debt levels and substantial reserves give the government scope to invest in non-oil sectors. Impacts The large state role in the economy magnifies the risks of policy mismanagement. Continued investment in infrastructure will help position the country as a bridge between east and west. The Nurly Zhol programme will improve access to affordable houses but could have a distorting effect on the construction industry.

Embracing sustainability practices in UK construction organizations

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Opoku ◽  
Vian Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Organizational Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Organizations ◽  
Sustainability Practices ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – Adopting sustainable construction practices minimizes the overall environmental impact of the built asset throughout its whole life. Currently, there is demand from key stakeholders in the construction industry for organization to deliver sustainable built environment, however, leaders/champions within construction organizations charged with the adoption of sustainable construction practices face many challenges. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an investigation into the challenges facing intra-organizational leaders charged with the promotion of sustainable construction practices. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interview with 15 leaders, followed by an industry-wide survey of 200 intra-organizational leaders in contractor and consultant organizations in the UK construction industry. Findings – The results revealed that increased capital cost is the most significant challenge facing construction organizations in attempt to adopt sustainability practices in the delivery of construction projects. Originality/value – This study provides the empirical evidence linking leadership within construction organizations and sustainability; filling the gap in literature and serving as a source of reference material for higher education programmes in the built environment.

scholarly journals A critical analysis of unethical professional practices in the construction industry in Southeast Nigeria

2021 ◽  
pp. 44-48
Author(s):  
Anikwe Nnaemeka J ◽  
Agha Kalu A
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Due Process ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
Professional Practices ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Maintenance Cost ◽  
Cost Overrun ◽  
Unethical Practices ◽  
The Government

Economic transformation and the provision of basic infrastructure to engender growth and development in any nation is vested in the construction industry hence the massive investment of the government in this sector. However, the expected gains of the construction industry have been eroded by the failure of many construction projects due to unethical professional practices on the part of the construction professionals. This study analyzed the causes and effects of unethical practices on the industry and project delivery with measures to combat the unethical practices among the stakeholders. The study adopted the survey design and a stratified random sampling technique was used to select 140 respondents. A structured questionnaire was designed and administered to construction professionals (Architects, Quantity Surveyors, Builders and Engineers). The relative importance index tool was used to analyse the severity of the factors identified. Findings revealed the absence of punishment for unethical practices (0.94), collusion between officials, consultants and contractors (0.91), availability of loopholes in project monitoring (0.89), weak law enforcement institution (0.87) and greed for money (0.83) among others as major causes of unethical professional practices which have serious effects on the construction industry. The result also revealed poor workmanship and substandard project delivery (0.88), high cost of construction (0.86), the collapse of structures/buildings (0.82), inflated contract sums (0.81), high maintenance cost (0.79), time and cost overrun (0.76) as the extremely severe effects of unethical practices in the industry. Prosecution and punishment of offenders (0.98), the whilstle blower protection policies and rewards (0.84), strengthening of institutionand anticorruption agencies (0.78), award of contracts on merit (0.75) and civil society participation and oversight (0.68) were identified as highly effective measures to curtail unethical professional practices. The study recommends that the government being a major actor should abide by the due process of contract award and letting, using Public Procurement Act (PPA) guidelines in executing all its construction projects. The professionals, contractors and clients’ representatives should also exhibit high professional excellence through adherence to professional ethics and codes of conduct.

scholarly journals Exploring the Barriers and Driving Factors in Implementing Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the Malaysian Construction Industry: A Preliminary Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahrizan Zakari ◽  
Nasly Mohamed Ali Ali ◽  
Ahmad Tarmizi Haron ◽  
Amanda Marshall Ponting ◽  
Zuhairi Abd. Hamid
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Driving Factors ◽  
Building Information Modelling ◽  
Information Modelling ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Many

In Malaysia, Building Information Modelling (BIM) has recently gained attraction from construction players and some of them have applied it to several projects. By utilising the BIM process, the construction players have the opportunity to plan, coordinate and design in an integrated approach. This is one of the many benefits that they could gain and resulting in increased productivity. Despite these benefits, the implementation of BIM in the Malaysian construction industry is still lagging behind Singapore, for instance. Thus, it warrants a study such as the present to determine what are the actual barriers that hamper its implementation and what are the driving factors that could enhance its pace of implementation in the Malaysian construction industry. In this study, a questionnaire survey based on Convenience Sampling Method was carried out to gather the possible barriers and driving factors for BIM implementation among the Malaysian construction players. Additionally, Relative Importance Indices (RII) were used to analyse the data obtained and to identify those barriers and driving factors for the implementation of BIM in this country. Consequently, results of this study revealed that the main barriers for implementing the BIM are: 1) Lack of knowledge about BIM, 2) Reluctance and/or no insistence shown by the Malaysian construction industry players (Clients, Contractors and Consultants alike) on the use or implementation of BIM. The driving factors, on the other hand, that could lead to the speeding up of the implementation of BIM are: 1) Support and enforcing the implementation of BIM by the Government, 2) promote BIM training program and 3) Initiatives of senior management of the related industry players. In conclusion, for successful wide spread application of BIM in Malaysia, a good push from the government alone is far from enough. All other construction industry players mentioned must assume their roles well in promoting the use of BIM in their construction projects.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document