The Use of Supply Chain Management (SCM) to Reduce Affordable Housing Costs in Iraq's Construction Industry

Affordable housing is a pivotal element in fostering economic development, social stability, and enhancing the quality of life for citizens. As urban population grows and economic disparities widen, challenges of affordable housing become increasingly critical. This problem is predominantly severe in Iraq, where rapid population growth, urbanization, economic instability, prolonged conflicts, and outdated construction practices have worsened the affordable housing crisis leading to massive shortfall of approximately 4 to 5 million units. This paper, which is part of a Ph.D. research, therefore explores the problem and the potential of SCM to transform Iraq’s construction sector and improve the affordability of these housings. The challenges of high affordability housing cost in Iraq are explored and the potential of SCM to address the predicament is outlined. Through a mixed-method approach involving Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) questionnaires and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on group of industry experts, this research aims to identify key factors contributing to high affordable housing costs in Iraq and propose an SCM-based framework to overcome the problem. The findings are expected to offer practical insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders, potentially serving as a template for other developing countries to follow in facing similar housing challenges.