A systematic review of drivers and barriers to the assimilation of net-zero carbon emission requirements into construction megaprojects procurement

There is no gainsaying that climate change is globally recognised as the greatest environmental threat of the 21st century. Therefore, under the Parish Agreement to restraint greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission to net-zero by 2050, climate change mitigation is at the core of environmental schemes of governments worldwide. Bearing in mind that mega construction projects contribute to the rising level of GHGs in the atmosphere, and the seldom consideration of net-zero carbon requirements in the procurement of construction megaprojects, this paper examines the drivers and barriers to assimilating net-zero requirements into construction megaprojects procurement. When net-zero emission requirements are well-thought-out beforehand during the bid evaluation stage of construction procurement to regulate CO2 emissions, it will serve as catalysts in pursuing net-zero emissions target in construction megaprojects. The traditional method of conducting a systematic literature review was used in this paper, based on explicit and structured procedure to identify and analyse the drivers and barriers to the assimilation of net-zero requirements in construction megaprojects procurement. The identified drivers and barriers were ranked according to their respective relative importance index (RII). The significance of this paper is that the outcome of the research will serve as reference for regulatory and standard-setting bodies to create mandatory rules or other policy interventions that drive the construction industry toward the attainment of net-zero emissions.