Evaluation framework for green procurement in road construction
Abstract
Purpose
Most barriers and enablers of sustainable projects are related to procurement. The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework for evaluating green procurement practices throughout the lifecycle of road construction projects and demonstrates its application through an Australian case study.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on linking the phases of road construction with incentive mechanisms for proactively motivating behavioural change. A holistic view on utilised and potential incentives is attempted with a literature review and a state-of-practice review. The latter is based on interviews and 90 policy and procurement documents across five Australian states.
Findings
An evaluation framework with seven procurement stages is suggested to describe current state green procurement incentives throughout the delivery lifecycle of road construction projects. The Australian case study was found to provide useful data to identify gaps and strong points of the different states regarding their level of integration of sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reduction elements in their procurement practices. This understanding was used to draw recommendations on future advancement of green procurement.
Originality/value
Government entities across the globe can impact considerably the achievement of sustainability and GHG targets, by using their procurement practices and requirements to create incentives for contractors and suppliers to engage in more GHG conscious practices. The present study provides a systematic account of how green procurement practices can be underpinned using the Australian road construction industry as a case study, and distinguish between strong and weak links in the green procurement chain to draw recommendations for future initiatives.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the funding and support provided by Australia's Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre (SBEnrc) and its partners. Core Members include Queensland Government, Government of Western Australia, John Holland, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Queensland University of Technology, Swinburne University of Technology and Curtin University.
Citation
X. Sanchez, A., Lehtiranta, L., D. Hampson, K. and Kenley, R. (2014), "Evaluation framework for green procurement in road construction", Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 153-169. https://doi.org/10.1108/SASBE-05-2013-0028
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited