Research into the delivery of sustainable construction projects has been gaining a lot of attention worldwide. Previous studies have shown that several countries embrace sustainable construction projects, but the uptake faces several delivery challenges. This research evaluates the factors that constitute challenges of sustainable construction projects delivery. A questionnaire survey was developed and distributed to construction professionals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to evaluate the significance of the challenges of sustainable construction projects delivery. Eighty-two questionnaires were returned and analysed. Out of the 33 challenges extracted from literature, factor analysis revealed seven clusters named, in other of significance, as financial, sustainable materials and technology, contractual, design, lack of experience, regulations, limited organizational awareness. This study recommends that mitigating these challenges will require modifying traditional project management practices, designing with a whole team approach, introducing contractual incentives, using an integrated project team and improving sustainability knowledge among stakeholders.

The construction sector is a crucial contributor to the national and global economy. Therefore, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of construction projects can have a significant impact on gross domestic product (GDP). However, managing construction projects can be challenging due to the uncertainties and complexities involved. The three primary interrelated constraints of construction projects, namely, time, scope, and cost, require effective management to ensure successful completion. To optimize the time and cost of construction projects, various optimization models and techniques have been proposed in the literature. This paper presents a systematic review of the time-cost optimization models in construction management and proposes some future work to improve the solution of the considered problem. The review categorizes the existing models into three categories: exact models, approximate models, and hybrid algorithm models. The exact models provide optimal solutions but require a lot of computational time and may not be efficient in solving multi-objective and large-scale problems. The approximate models provide near-optimal solutions and reduce computational effort but may not be efficient in solving large-scale projects. The hybrid algorithm models combine the good properties of different algorithms to provide high-quality and efficient solutions. The purpose of this paper is accomplished through a systematic literature review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The paper analyzes the contribution, advantages, and limitations of each category and provides recommendations for future work. Based on the review, several recommendations for future work are provided, including the development of hybrid models that combine different optimization techniques, the incorporation of risk management into optimization models, and the use of advanced data analytics techniques to improve the accuracy of optimization models. Overall, this paper provides an up-to-date comprehensive review of the time-cost optimization models used in construction management and offers valuable insights for researchers and practitioners in this field. The findings of this review can be used to guide future research and improve the effectiveness of optimization models for construction projects.

There is a lag in incorporating sustainability in core project management practices such as the selection of project delivery methods. Available literature focuses on traditional selection criteria of project delivery methods. These criteria, while important, may not address the challenges associated with sustainable construction projects’ delivery. There is a need to develop relevant selection criteria that increase the success rate of sustainable construction projects. This paper bridges this gap by identifying relevant criteria and modelling the correlation between the selection criteria exogenous variables and their corresponding latent variables as well as evaluating the impact of the relevant selection criteria on the success of sustainable construction projects. A partial least square structural equation model (PLS-SEM) is developed based on a survey that was administered to construction professionals in the UAE to collect their perceptions on the significance of the selection criteria. 110 responses were collected using a snowball sampling technique and the results revealed that all of the selection criteria proved to be significant. These include: level of integration, green team, green contract, green liability and technology. It is recommended to prioritize the level of integration, green team and green liability criteria groups for the PDM selection in sustainable construction projects.

The environmental harms that the construction industry has caused are significantly detrimental and apparent. These harms include the emittance of a substantial amount of carbon dioxide and inducing ground and water contamination. Fortunately, these adverse environmental impacts can be minimized and counteracted by carrying out sustainable construction projects. As sustainable construction projects gain more popularity and are increasingly in demand, it is crucial for those who will execute these projects to be knowledgeable about the nature of sustainable construction projects and be able to determine whether to bid for these projects. The bidding decision is one of the critical decisions that contractors have to make due to the complexity and uncertainty surrounding this choice. Given the above challenge, this research aims to identify the most significant factors that affect the bidding decision in sustainable construction. The methodology adopted in this research is a mix of qualitative and quantitative analysis. An extensive literature review was first conducted to determine the bidding decision factors. After that, a survey was distributed to United Arab Emirates (UAE) construction professionals, where they were asked to rank the significance of the 40 extracted factors. The weighted average approach was then used to prioritize the most significant factors of the bidding decision in sustainable construction. The results showed that the top 10 ranking factors were as follows: client’s financial capabilities, client’s payment history, client’s reputation, project risks, contractor’s financial capabilities, project complexity, experience in similar projects, project type, contractor’s access to technologies required to execute sustainable projects, and material availability. The findings of this research can benefit contractors and subcontractors by increasing their understanding of the major factors affecting the bidding decision in sustainable construction. Contractors armed with such invaluable information will be better equipped to reach more effective better bidding decisions.