Green procurement in the building construction industry: case of Niger state, Nigeria

Since independence of Nigeria in 1960, the country has been experiencing a high degree of mismanagement of resources particularly in the area of public procurement. There have been existing open abuses to rules and standards in the award and execution of public contracts in Nigeria. Sustainable procurement means appreciating and managing social, ethical, safety, environmental and economic value associated with the supply chain and materials selection. Improving procurement performance helps to establish “purchasing social responsibility. This study attempts to assess sustainable procurement in building construction in Minna, Niger State. This was achieved through assessing the challenges inherent in the procurement system of Niger State and ascertaining the level of sustainable procurement practices existing in the public sector. Survey design method was adopted for the study which include the use of questionnaire and interview. Data for the study were sourced from two sources; which are primary and secondary sources. Findings from the study indicates that there are potential barriers to sustainable construction in Niger State which includes; lack of government commitment, economic conditions, lack of government support/no incentives, and fear of higher investment costs and that sustainability is not integrated into the construction procurement process in Niger State. Based on the findings, recommendations were made such as: incentives and support from the government and regulatory agencies should be made available to firms that are compliant to sustainability goals, so as to encourage the practice of sustainability.