Valuation of Sustainability in Tendering from a Contractor Perspective

This thesis examines how a building contractor’s tender practices are being challenged by the increasing preference among building clients to procure construction projects based on the criterion 'best ratio between price and quality’. In this context, the demand for sustainability services and solutions has notably increased among Danish building clients. This shift presents new challenges for building contractors, who must now incorporate both quantitative calculations and qualitative assessments into their tender submissions, referred to as 'qualculation'. The research objective is to understand how the transition towards qualculative practices affects a building contractor’s tendering processes and their ability to secure projects in an increasingly complex market. Through three sub-analyses, the study provides insight into: 1) how Danish building clients 'frame' sustainability requirements in procurement processes, 2) how sustainability values are co-created through tender documents, and 3) how these new competitive parameters impact a building contractor's organizational capabilities and considerations regarding market opportunities.