Abstract/Summary

This chapter examines the role of procurement in sustainable construction and development in terms of both buyer and supplier roles, and in the context of recently published standards and guidance. It focuses in particular on the challenges to more sustainable procurement raised by the contemporary practice of competitive buying/contracting though multiple tiers of suppliers. The chapter envisions a future for sustainable construction by 2050 in which procurement focuses more on understanding and meeting client requirements through innovation than through the provision of low- cost labour and materials. In such a future, more sustainable procurement helps promote whole- life performance, as well as collaborative working along construction supply chains and across tiers of sub-contracting. It helps treat people fairly and with dignity, addressing their personal development and employing them on a sustainable basis. It ensures that materials are sourced responsibly, paying attention to reducing/avoiding undesirable social, environmental and economic impacts along the supply chain. In addition, it helps reduce opportunities for bribery and corruption and, where possible, avoids them altogether.