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The study aims to explore the role of procurement of good governance (PGG) on value for money (VfM) achievement in public construction projects. By investigating various dimensions of PGG, including transparency, accountability, competition and integrity, this study provides insights into how these factors contribute to the successful achievement of VfM outcomes in public construction projects.

The data were sourced from 203 construction project practitioners from 24 selected procuring entities in Tanzania using a census approach and a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used for data analysis.

The findings of the study revealed a positive and significant impact of various dimensions of PGG on VfM. Specifically, transparency, accountability, competition and integrity were positively and significantly related to VfM, with p-values <0.001. Based on the study findings, we conclude that PGG is an important predictor of VfM achievement in public construction projects.

The study offers policy implications for streamlined PGG and VfM achievement in public construction projects. It is suggested that procuring entities can enhance VfM by enforcing compliance with the principles of PGG throughout the entirety of construction projects. In this case, streamlined legislative frameworks and control mechanisms are crucial components that could enhance PGG and the achievement of VfM.

This study contributes to the academic literature on the strategic role of PGG in enhancing VfM achievement. This is one of the research domains, which has not been adequately researched, particularly in Tanzania’s context. In addition, the study provides valuable insights to policymakers, practitioners and stakeholders involved in public construction projects to improve project outcomes and resource allocation.

Ghana’s legal framework for procurement has undergone substantial reform to increase its efficacy. However, disregard for legal obligations set forth has resulted in issues of fraud, corruption and poor oversight. This study seeks to synthesize literature on the recognition of legal obligations arising from tendering procedures and measures to promote fairness, transparency and accountability under Ghana’s procurement framework.

Legal frameworks and publications from diverse countries have been synthesized using a systematic literature review across three databases (Scopus, JSTOR and HeinOnline) to illuminate key concepts, issues and best practices relevant to the study. Data obtained from included publications was synthesized using Sandelowski and Barroso’s two-step approach by using a qualitative meta-summary and thematic synthesis.

The study reveals that issues of conflict of interest, corruption, lack of capacity, inadequate oversight and insufficient legal follow-through hinder the effectiveness of procurement regulations. The findings highlight the need for targeted improvements in resource allocation for consistent application of transparency measures, regular publication of notices and robust enforcement of accountability mechanisms. The report proposes the creation of a common data environment for networking and information dissemination, implementing feedback systems and trust rating schemes.

The study contributes to the body of knowledge on procurement regulation by providing a thorough analysis of Ghana’s procurement framework. The findings will help policymakers close the observed implementation gaps by guiding the revision of current legislation and the introduction of new regulations. Research findings can be used to guide the creation of focused training courses.

This study, one of the first of its kind in Ghana, examines the current procurement framework, including legal obligations and implementation challenges. It contributes to the body of knowledge on the subject by providing a current and fact-based analysis as well as relevant recommendations for strengthening the framework.

The South African Government announced the black economic empowerment (BEE) legislation in 2003 in the public procurement systems. The legislation was deemed a catalyst for the emancipation of the previously disadvantaged citizens due to the apartheid government policies that secluded them from economic activities. This study aims to explore the challenges of black construction professionals with the BEE as a procurement policy.

This study adopted a qualitative research approach. Thirty-five black construction professionals were contacted for interviews, of which 21 responded. Due to the COVID-19 restriction, participants were interviewed using telephone interview techniques. The information received was analysed using the thematic contents analysis method.

The findings revealed the challenges confronting black construction professionals regarding the BEE policy as corrupt practices (leading to the award of contracts to unqualified people), fronting of contractors and individuals for unqualified firms, preventing the participation of experienced and foreign firms, poor policy implementation with no monitoring mechanism and loss of tender due to strict requirements.

Urgent attention is needed to review the BEE policy implementation process by the South African government to address the challenges enumerated by the policy beneficiaries to ensure the achievement of the policy objectives.

This study has identified the challenges of the BEE policy; thus, the government can institute measures to address the hindrances thwarting the beneficiaries from realising the policy objectives.

Electronic procurement has received primacy as one of the significant reforms to help fight corruption and inefficiencies in the public sector across countries. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of electronic procurement adoption on procurement performance. Additionally, the paper examines the moderating role of institutional quality in the relationship between electronic procurement and procurement performance.

The study applied an explanatory design and a quantitative research approach. Also, the study relied on UTAUT and institutional theory to develop a test research model using 121 responses from public entities in Ghana. Hypothesised paths were investigated using structural equation modelling.

The findings revealed that electronic procurement adoption positively and significantly affects procurement performance. Also, the findings indicated that institutional quality positively and significantly affects electronic procurement adoption and procurement performance, respectively. Lastly, the findings proved that institutional quality moderates the relationship between electronic procurement adoption and procurement performance.

The study focused on public procurement entities in the Greater Accra Region – Ghana. The study contributes to adopting electronic procurement, institutional quality, and procurement performance literature. The study also extends the UTAUT and the institutional theory to African public entities. The study reechoes the importance of institutional quality in developing economies to enhance electronic procurement adoption.

To the best of the researcher’s knowledge, this is the first study that examines the moderating role of institutional quality in the relationship between electronic procurement adoption and procurement performance.

This paper aims to identify the different system approach using Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology that is equipped with decision making processes. Maintenance planning and management are integral components of the construction sector, serving the broader purpose of post-construction activities and processes. However, as Precast Concrete (PC) construction projects increase in scale and complexity, the interconnections among these activities and processes become apparent, leading to planning and performance management challenges. These challenges specifically affect the monitoring of façade components for corrective and preventive maintenance actions.

The concept of maintenance planning for façades, along with the main features of information and communication technology tools and techniques using building information modeling technology, is grounded in the analysis of numerous literature reviews in PC building scenarios.

This research focuses on an integrated system designed to analyze information and support decision-making in maintenance planning for PC buildings. It is based on robust data collection regarding concrete façades' failures and causes. The system aims to provide appropriate planning decisions and minimize the risk of façade failures throughout the building's lifetime.

The study concludes that implementing a research framework to develop such a system can significantly enhance the effectiveness of maintenance planning for façade design, construction and maintenance operations.

This study evaluates the aesthetic perception of photovoltaic (PV) systems situated at various locations on an apartment building facade, comparing them with the original facade. It also aims to understand how aesthetic dimensions influence the perception of PV installations in diverse building locations. Moreover, it aims to create a framework that will guide for installing PV installations considering both their functionality and aesthetics.

The study uses a mixed-method approach, including qualitative and quantitative approaches. It includes a literature review and a questionnaire. 418 participants evaluated different PV-embedded facades using a Likert scale across various aesthetic variables.

The findings indicate that aesthetic perceptions of PV vary by the location of installation. It also shows that all aesthetic dimensions affect PV installation aesthetics, with location-specific preferences. For original elevation, compatibility and simplicity are given precedence over blending and coherence for windows, creativity and harmony for facades, functionality and harmony for balconies, and innovation potential and simplicity for roofs.

This study focuses on a single building type; further investigation is required to examine other building types. It also examined one PV technology with common visual properties, but future studies can examine others. Additional research is needed to compare the participating groups and the effect of their sociodemographic factors, using on-site surveys and interviews.

Few studies have investigated how PV systems affect apartment building users' architectural aesthetic perception. The results of this study make a valuable contribution to the field of sustainable architecture by providing practical guidance for architects, engineers, stakeholders, and researchers who are interested in integrating aesthetic, user-centric considerations into renewable energy solutions.

This study aims to develop a methodology that extracts an architectural concept from a biological analogy that integrates forms and kinetic behavior to identify whether complex forms work better or simple forms with proper kinetic behavior for improving visual comfort and daylight performance.

The research employs a transdisciplinary approach using several methods consisting of a biomimetic functional-morphological approach, kinetic design strategy, case study comparison using algorithmic workflow and parametric simulation and inverse design, to develop an interactive kinetic façade with optimized daylight performance.

A key development is the introduction of a periodic interactive region (PIR), which draws inspiration from the butterfly wings' nanostructure. These findings challenge conventional perspectives on façade complexity, highlighting the efficacy of simpler shapes paired with appropriate kinetic behavior for improving visual comfort. The results show the façade with a simpler “Bookshelf” shape integrated with a tapered shape of the periodic interactive region, outperforms its more complex counterpart (Hyperbolic Paraboloid component) in terms of daylight performance and glare control, especially in southern orientations, ensuring occupant visual comfort by keeping cases in the imperceptible range while also delivering sufficient average spatial Daylight Autonomy of 89.07%, Useful Daylight Illuminance of 94.53% and Exceeded Useful Daylight Illuminance of 5.11%.

The investigation of kinetic façade studies reveals that precedent literature mostly focused on engineering and building physics aspects, leaving the architectural aspect underutilized during the development phase. Recent studies applied a biomimetic approach for involving the architectural elements besides the other aspects. While the biomimetic method has proven effective in meeting occupants' visual comfort needs, its emphasis has been primarily on the complex form which is difficult to apply within the kinetic façade development. This study can address two gaps: (1) the lack of an architectural aspect in the kinetic façade design specifically in the development of conceptual form and kinetic behavior dimensions and (2) exchanging the superficial biomimetic considerations with an in-depth investigation.

The practice of the defects liability period (DLP) is a risk management strategy meant to secure durable and high-quality works. However, construction products continue to malfunction even after the expiration of DLPs. This study seeks to determine the adequacy of DLPs existing in the construction industry and propose appropriate DLPs for construction projects in the Ghanaian construction industry.

Applying quantitative research strategy, 124 questionnaires were retrieved from construction professionals surveyed. The data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics, Cramer’s V and the significance test with the aid of Stata software.

It was found that defects start showing in both buildings and roads within 12 months after being handed over for the client’s use. The significance test and Cramer’s V analysis indicate low concordance amongst respondents that the 6–12 month DLPs existing in Ghana are adequate. It is found that the existing DLP practice does not provide sufficient security to clients.

Construction project clients will need to include the tenderer’s proposed DLP as part of the tender evaluation criteria with the objective of picking up a signal of the quality of work to be delivered.

This paper is one of the pioneering studies addressing the issue of the adequacy of DLPs in the construction industry in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. The findings trigger policy and regulatory changes in conditions guiding construction contracts procured in most developing countries that have adopted and adapted to the World Bank Public Procurement Guidelines.

The building sector contributes one-third of the energy-related carbon dioxide globally. Therefore, framing appropriate energy-related policies for the next decades becomes essential in this scenario to realize the global net-zero goals. The purpose of the proposed study is to evaluate the impact of the widespread adoption of such guidelines in a building community in the context of mixed-mode buildings.

This study decentralizes the theme of improving the energy efficiency of the national building stock in parcels by proposing a community-based hybrid bottom-up modelling approach using urban building energy modelling (UBEM) techniques to analyze the effectiveness of the community-wide implementation of energy conservation guidelines.

In this study, the UBEM is developed and validated for the 14-building residential community in Mumbai, India, adopting the framework. Employing Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) compliance on the UBEM shows an energy use reduction potential of up to 15%. The results also reveal that ECBC compliance is more advantageous considering the effects of climate change.

In developing countries where the availability of existing building stock information is minimal, the proposed study formulates a holistic framework for developing a detailed UBEM for the residential building stock from scratch. A unique method of assessing the actual cooling load of the developed UBEM is presented. A thorough sensitivity analysis approach to investigate the effect of cooling space fraction on the energy consumption of the building stock is presented, which would assist in choosing the appropriate retrofit strategies. The proposed study's outcomes can significantly transform the formulation and validation of appropriate energy policies.

How can large international financial firms go green in authentic ways? What enhances ‘Net Zero action’? Changes in global banks, fund managers, and insurance firms are at the heart of green finance. External change pressures – combined with problematic firm predispositions – exacerbate barriers to change and promote scepticism about authentic Net Zero change. Field research reveals main elements, connections, and interactions of this question by considering financial firms as complex socio-technical systems (Mitleton-Kelly, 2003). An interdisciplinary/holistic narrative approach (De Bakker et al., 2019) is adopted to design a conceptual framework that can support a green ‘behavioural theory of the financial firm’ (green BTFF). The BTFF presents an international version (Peng, 2001) of the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm (Barney, 1991; Hart, 1995; Teece et al., 1997).

The approach of this chapter is aimed at closing knowledge gaps and realign values in financial markets and society. By raising awareness about organised hypocrisy and facades (Brunsson, 1993; Cho et al., 2015; Schoeneborn et al., 2020) in financial firms the chapter aims at overcoming the gap between ‘talking’ and ‘walking’ in the financial sector. The chapter defines testable firm-level hypotheses for ‘Green Finance’ (Poterba, 2021) as well as – by implication – tests for ‘greenwashing’.