Adaptability in Public Procurement of Engineering Services Promoting Carbon Reduction: An Organizational Control Perspective

Abstract

Many studies have emphasized the importance of engineering services and their adaptability to reduce carbon emissions in the construction sector. As public clients procure these services, selecting efficient (procurement-related) control modes is critical. However, studies of control modes and their effect on adaptability are scarce. The purpose of this study is to investigate how, through the choice of control modes, a public client may create incentives for service providers to deliver carbon reduction solutions in the construction phase. In this study, a procurement model and a classification model are developed, and a single case study of an engineering service contract aiming for carbon reduction is used to illustrate the models. The empirical data include 16 interviews with respondents from the 2 contract parties, i.e., the client and service provider. The findings show that it is important to create incentives for adaptability when procuring engineering services with the aim of reducing carbon emissions in the construction phase. The findings also highlight the importance of these incentives being created both in relation to the selection of service providers and to the responsibility between the contract parties. The models developed in the study may serve as important tools for both practitioners and researchers.