A strategic framework of green procurement for the Malaysian construction industry / Mohd Sallehuddin Mat Noor

The global Sustainable Development Goal 2030 highlights seventeen (17) objectives to be optimized; one of them is enabled by Green Procurement (GP) through Sustainable Consumption and Production principle. In the Malaysian context, reformation of the construction industry which relates to GP and environmental sustainability was expected to be achieved through two major strategic reforms, the Construction Industry Master Plan (CIMP) 2006 and Construction Industry Transformation Program (CITP) 2016. As a consequence, GP was introduced in 2009 and now became one of the key strategies of CITP. However, the continuing problem that confronts is the low traction of the industry in embracing environmental sustainability through GP. A key factor that has been associated to the low traction has been the validity of the strategy in implementing the GP itself. The aim was to establish a strategic framework of GP for the Malaysian construction industry. The objectives selected to achieve this aim were to (a) identify the suitable SM theories that can be applied to structure for GP in the Malaysian construction industry; (b) identify the variables which impact the GP for the Malaysian construction industry; (c) develop a GP strategic framework for Malaysian construction industry from Objective 1 and Objective 2(A); and (d) test the applicability of the GP strategic framework for the Malaysian construction industry. A mixed research methodology was adopted to operationalize the research underpined in the Qualitative Embedded Model. Critical literature review was undertaken to identify the pertinent strategic management theories. The variables which impact the GP were identified through Meta-Data analysis of research papers and government publications. These were then classified into (external) macro and (internal) micro classifications of variables which forms the GP ecosystem. Hypotheses were developed to test the validity of the macro and micro variables within the ecosystem. The consequent emergent GP Strategic Framework was validated by drawing comments from the expert persons on GP in the Malaysian construction industry. The novelty of the research findings is it bridges the gap in formulating GP implementation in the Malaysian construction industry and broadening the horizon of environmental sustainability through macro variables in policy making of Regulation, Standard, Promotion, Training and Education and Practice. These variables are implemented in construction project management of Inception, Design Development, Tender Documentation, Construction and Handover. More importantly, the research pointed the need to address Newtonian Mechanistic thinking that had limited the resourcefulness of human being in thinking strategically and the possibility of fostering healing within this paradigm.