Driving Construction Health and Safety Through Procurement Strategy.

Abstract

Context: There is an increasing awareness of the importance of health and safety in the construction industry. However, the extent to which this is given the appropriate attention is contested, given the divergent views among key stakeholders. The contractors view clients’ as merely paying ‘lips services’ to health and safety, and they point to clients’ obsession with ‘value for money’ and the failure to understand that ‘value for money’ concept transcends beyond tender price when selecting contractors.

Aim: The aim of this study is to explore the role of procurement strategy in improving health and safety culture in construction projects.

Design/methodology/approach: The method adopted is based on a review of the literature and in-depth exploratory interviews with two major contractors to explore how health and safety is influenced by procurement approaches.

Findings: Preliminary findings suggest that collaborative procurement approaches, unlike traditional procurement with conflicting objectives of key stakeholders, can dissolve hierarchical barriers and create highly connected teams with strong working relationships to promote health and safety.

Practical implications: Health and safety should be positioned at the heart of procurement to ensure that there are adequate provisions to develop a stronger health and safety culture to facilitate the implementation of construction projects.

Originality/value: The study argues for increasing understanding the roles of procurement strategy in ameliorating health and safety issues in construction projects, which will enable appropriate guidelines to be utilised by clients in selecting contractors for a construction project.