From Board Room to Machine Room - Lost in translation? How Sustainability is Translated and Operationalised Through Tenders and Project Organisations: How Sustainability is Translated and Operationalised Through Tenders and Project Organisations
Translated title
From Board Room to Machine Room - Lost in translation? How Sustainability is Translated and Operationalised Through Tenders and Project Organisations
Authors
Fabrin, Frederik Kirk ; Jensen, Audrey ; Lybech, Julie Skovrider
Term
4. Term
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-06-03
Pages
65
Abstract
Many infrastructure projects seek environmental sustainability through green procurement, but it is difficult to turn high-level aims into practical requirements in tenders. This study examines how sustainability is shaped in tendering processes and how this affects actors in the project organisation. Using the BOIST framework (Boundary Object in Sustainability Transitions), the tender is treated as a boundary object: a shared document that different groups can use for a common task even if they interpret sustainability differently. This shows how sustainability is interpreted and operationalised. The study combines document analysis of tender material with semi-structured interviews with clients, consultants, and contractors. Findings indicate that sustainability emerges through competing organisational logics rather than procurement requirements alone. Ambitions, knowledge, and competencies exist across the project organisation, but their influence is fragmented across actors and organisational levels. The study concludes that challenges to sustainable procurement arise less from a lack of knowledge or ambition, and more from the difficulty of aligning sustainability-oriented logics within the project organisation.
Mange anlægsprojekter forsøger at fremme miljømæssig bæredygtighed gennem grønne indkøb, men det er svært at omsætte høje ambitioner til konkret praksis i udbud. Denne undersøgelse ser på, hvordan bæredygtighed formes i udbudsprocesser, og hvordan det påvirker aktørerne i projektorganisationen. Med BOIST-rammen (Boundary Object in Sustainability Transitions) behandles udbuddet som et grænseobjekt, altså et fælles dokument, som forskellige grupper kan bruge til samme opgave, selvom de tolker bæredygtighed forskelligt. Det viser, hvordan bæredygtighed bliver fortolket og operationaliseret. Studiet kombinerer dokumentanalyse af udbudsmateriale med semistrukturerede interviews med bygherrer, rådgivere og entreprenører. Resultaterne peger på, at bæredygtighed opstår gennem konkurrerende organisatoriske logikker og ikke kun gennem formelle indkøbskrav. Ambitioner, viden og kompetencer findes på tværs af projektorganisationen, men deres indflydelse er fragmenteret på tværs af aktører og niveauer. Konklusionen er, at udfordringerne ved bæredygtigt indkøb i højere grad skyldes vanskeligheder med at afstemme bæredygtighedsorienterede logikker i projektorganisationen end mangel på viden eller ambition.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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