Sustainability Inclusion in Construction Contracts Index

Abstract

Despite the interest that environmental prudence has garnered worldwide, the construction industry remains behind in incorporating sustainable concepts in construction contracts and contract administration. Some research promotes the adoption of sustainability clauses into construction contracts, and some of the standard contract forms include sections on sustainability. However, there is no research to date that analyzes the current state of adopting sustainable practices and techniques in contractual terms. There are also no specific measures tailored to the different types of construction projects, and owner/developers have no tools to assess sustainability components of their construction contracts. Therefore, this research investigated the degree of incorporation of sustainability clauses in construction contracts in the United Arab Emirates. Sustainable practices were collected from the literature and validated via interviews with 5 construction organizations and surveys of 11 more to develop the Sustainability Inclusion in Construction Contracts Index (SICCI) in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). The SICCI was designed and validated to measure the inclusion of sustainable practices in contractual terms typically used by the construction industry. The resulting index was applied as a case study to a residential construction project in the United Arab Emirates. The project team found the index very usable and the project scored a 70% inclusion rate in contractual terms. Inclusion assessment is the first step in true adoption of sustainable development concepts in construction projects. This paper recommends further adoption of this tool in construction organizations to promote sustainable practices.