Barriers to sustainable procurement in the Nigerian construction industry: an exploratory factor analysis

TLDR

Sustainable procurement in construction is still emerging, with most research conducted in developed countries, and although Nigeria is adopting it, its uptake remains slow. The study aims to identify the factors that constitute barriers to sustainable procurement of publicly funded construction projects in Nigeria. A questionnaire survey of industry professionals yielded 320 usable responses that were analyzed to assess these barriers. Factor analysis revealed four barrier clusters—sustainability knowledge, transparency and governance, procurement strategy–policy mismatch, and industry factors—indicating that mitigation will require improving stakeholder knowledge, governance, law adaptation, and industry development.

Abstract

Research into the application of sustainable procurement in construction projects is nascent with the few prominent studies carried out in the developed nations. Of particular interest is how developing nations are rising to the challenge of development and using their procurements strategically. One way the construction industry helps to achieve sustainable development is through its procurement activities. Previous studies show that Nigeria is embracing sustainable procurement however the uptake is slow. Therefore, this research sets out to evaluate the factors that constitute barriers to sustainable procurement of publicly funded construction projects in Nigeria. A questionnaire survey was used to evaluate construction industry professionals' perspective on the barriers to sustainable procurement in Nigeria. Three hundred and twenty questionnaires were returned and used for analysis. Out of the nineteen variables tested, factor analysis reveals four clusters named in other of significance as sustainability knowledge level, transparency and governance, mismatch of procurement strategy and national policy challenges, and construction industry related factors. This study recommends that mitigating these challenges will require improving sustainability knowledge among project stakeholders, ensuring transparency and good governance, adapting procurement laws with sustainability clauses and construction industry development.