Green Performance Contracting Strategy for Highway Construction Projects

Abstract

With the growing awareness of sustainability and globalclimate change, state highway agencies are taking essential steps to reduce carbon emissions from highway infrastructure on a life cycle basis. While much is known regarding climate change mitigation and adaption strategies during highway operation, very little is understood about how climate change issues should be integrated into highway planning, delivery, and construction processes. This paper presents the current contracting practice for addressing the climate change issues. A Green Performance Contracting (GPC) framework is defined in this paper. Four levels of the GPC strategies are identified and discussed, namely, material related strategies, equipment and energy efficiency related strategies, green life-cycle strategies, and clean energy development strategies. Furthermore, a survey of the GPC practices of U.S. state DOTs is conducted, and strategies addressed by different states aligned with the four levels are also discussed. Finally, a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model is proposed together with the evaluation criteriato assist state highway agencies in better incorporating green and sustainability into their project delivery processes. The evaluation criteria mainly include attributes of GHG reduction efficiency, financial feasibility, technology readiness, risk and uncertainty, and community and industrial acceptance.