Incorporating sustainability into contractor evaluation and team formation in the built environment

This paper introduces a decision model and framework for subcontractor selection and team formation in the built environment based on the economic/business, social and environmental triple-bottom-line aspects of sustainability. The model and decision framework aid the decision maker in forming a construction project team that can most benefit the overall goal of sustainability and compatibility amongst the subcontractors (supply chain) from a number of trade industries. The model uses both the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Analytic Network Process (ANP) as its basis. Once the generic decision model is defined, an example application is described to show its use and feasibility. The robustness of the solution is demonstrated using sensitivity analysis, allowing the decision maker to appreciate the complexities in this decision environment. This work builds on the relatively sparse formal mathematical modeling research and applications to sustainability in the built environment, an industry that has significant economic, social, and environmental influences.