<b>Barriers to the Creation of Social Value in The Procurement of Construction Projects in Developing Countries</b>

Purpose: This study aims to explore the key barriers to creating social value in the procurement of construction projects in developing countries. Design/Methodology/Approach: A sequential exploratory mixed-methods design was employed. Initial focus group discussions were held with 20 practitioners (in both public and private sectors). Survey questionnaires were then used to obtain quantitative data to identify and prioritise the factors that hinder social value creation. A total of 124 questionnaires were completed and returned. The participants were purposively selected, and the data were collected within 3 months. Content analysis was performed on the qualitative data, while exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to analyse the survey data. Findings: The study identified nine (9) major categories of barriers: lack of enforcement of regulations and guidelines, corrupt practices, lack of stakeholder commitment, scarcity of sustainable materials, low capacity of procurement personnel, societal mindset, low collaborative work culture, lack of incentives for sustainable procurement, and low productivity of trainers. Research Limitation: The study respondents were limited to procurement practitioners recruited by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) for training on sustainable public procurement following the amendment of the procurement act, which introduced sustainable procurement into the Ghanaian procurement system. Generalisation of the results should be done with caution. Practical Implication: The identified barriers can serve as a diagnostic tool to assess the readiness and capacity of procurement systems to deliver social value, and to prioritise areas for intervention and improvement. Social Implication: Trust in the procurement system promotes social cohesion and increases citizens' willingness to abide by the nation's laws, which has a cascading effect on tax payment, thereby addressing social concerns. Originality: This study contributes to the growing body of literature on social value creation in construction procurement by identifying and prioritising the barriers specific to the context of developing countries.