Iles, D and Ryall, P (2016) How can the United Kingdom construction industry implement sustainable procurement strategies? In: Chan, P W and Neilson, C J (eds.) Proceedings of 32nd Annual ARCOM Conference, 5-7 September 2016, Manchester, UK.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine the implementation of sustainable procurement within the United Kingdom Construction Industry (UKCI) to allow the authors to make recommendations for improvement, in order to promote the adoption of good practice in the future. The research identified not only a range of benefits from the implementation of sustainable procurement strategies but also barriers to the success of such initiatives if implemented. The research extended a previous scoping study and employed a cross-sectional study utilising semi-structured interviews to test the initial findings generated by the literature review that involved a number of interviews representing a cross section of the UKCI. The findings from the research suggest that companies should embrace sustainable procurement in its entirety and embed strategies fully within the organisation to achieve maximum benefits and cost savings. The impact of these cost savings should be communicated more widely in the UKCI to quell the myth that implementation of sustainable procurement is expensive. The supply chain should work collaboratively to increase the knowledge of organisations with less experience. This would increase participation from those within the UKCI who are resistant to change. The Government should continue to encourage the supply chain to act sustainably and continue to improve awareness of sustainable procurement strategies through the provision of additional information and development of guidance. The research also suggested that where a local supply chain is employed, smaller organisations should be fully supported. A fully supported supply chain would smaller organisations to obtain the necessary financial backing and access to the correct goods and services, who are therefore more able to meet the requirements of contractors and clients. Although the UKCI would benefit from a more integrated supply chain, the authors question where the financial support may come from to achieve this.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | corporate strategy; cost; procurement; supply chain; sustainability |
| Index terms: | interview, corporate strategy, sustainable procurement strategy, strategy, literature review, United Kingdom, good practice, cost saving, implementation, construction industry |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, business, data analysis and analytics, contractual arrangements, performance measurement, management, economics, Geography, sustainable practices, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Geographical Context, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Governance, Sustainability, Procurement, Quality Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here