Embedding Sustainability In Construction Contracts Of Pakistan: A Way Forward To Ensure Sustainable Construction Practices

Abstract

Construction industry is always prone to many practices which are not favorable for sustainability. Despite being a signatory of the charter of Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, Pakistan’s construction industry has also not fully implemented the strategies envisioned in the sustainable concepts of construction contracts and contract administration. Reviews & content analysis carried out have pinpointed this shortcoming in the fields of economic, environmental and social sectors, yet no concerted efforts have been made by the stakeholders to mitigate the problems. Findings from the literature suggests that targets and indicators for sustainability have already been defined, but the systematic way of implementing these targets is missing. Inclusion of sustainable clauses in construction contracts can provide a framework. It can be a way forward for binding all stakeholders for sustainable construction. Thus, this research investigates the current state of sustainability factors in the construction contracts of Pakistan. Sustainable practices were categorized from an in-depth literature review and shortlisted. A Likert scale survey was carried out to ascertain the level of inclusion of the shortlisted sustainability factors in the industry. After statistical analysis of the primary survey data, a Panel of Experts of Contracts was engaged for proposing contractual clauses for including the shortlisted sustainability factors in the legislative realm. The contract clauses were proposed using Decision Delphi with two rounds method. It was found out that out of fifteen factors, only seven are being practiced in the construction industry of Pakistan. Furthermore, 87% believed that sustainability aspects should be added in the construction industry of Pakistan. A set of eight contract clauses have been proposed by the panel of experts for inclusion in the construction contracts of the country to ensure adoption of sustainable practices. This research further proposes that the sustainable clauses found out in this novel study can be evaluated for their effectiveness and refinement.