Development of an Assessment and Management Framework for Sustainable Construction Projects in Jordan by Incorporating the Sustainable Development Goals

: Countries worldwide have implemented several strategies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to which sustainable construction projects can contribute significantly. However, an integrated assessment and management method for sustainable construction projects is needed to improve the contributions of such projects to achieving the SDGs. Hence, this research aims to develop an innovative framework that integrates contributions to achieving the SDGs within the assessment and management of sustainable construction projects. We reviewed previous research and used the Delphi method to identify assessment indicators and construct a framework. Next, two new indices were constructed: the Sustainable Construction Project Indicator Contributions Index (SCPICI) and the Integrated Sustainable Construction Project Contributions Index (ISCPCI). Lastly, a focus group discussion was conducted. According to the SCPICI, the top five indicators are energy-efficient management (27.58), the use of renewable energy (27.51), measurements of energy savings during the construction and operation phases (26.64), water savings during construction and operation phases (26.18), and water recycling (25.46). The research findings indicate that sustainable construction projects substantially contribute to achieving SDGs 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, and 15. Policymakers and other stakeholders in the construction sector could use the proposed framework to assess and manage sustainable construction projects. Moreover, researchers worldwide could use the proposed methods to develop new frameworks in other countries.


Introduction
With the increase in the population and environmental pollution, it is crucial to effectively oversee construction and infrastructure projects to minimize adverse environmental effects and reduce pollution.Against this background, sustainable development aims to mitigate environmental harm, enhance the economic viability of projects, and promote comfort and social equity [1].The construction industries in developed countries have undertaken several initiatives to mitigate their environmental impacts.Developing countries, on the other hand, often overlook sustainability due to factors such as uncertain economies, monopolistic practices, and insufficient legislation.Recent studies have demonstrated the pressing need for sustainable construction methodologies in developing countries.These practices are necessary to restore construction systems that now consume resources, harm the environment, and jeopardize the health and well-being of stakeholders [2].
The construction industry consumes significant amounts of raw materials, producing both the final product and, notably, waste materials [3].This industry has a significant impact on the environment, society, and economic growth [4].Accordingly, sustainable construction, defined as the efficient use of resources while incorporating environmental design principles, depends on three key pillars: environmental preservation, social wellbeing, and economic growth [5].
The concept of sustainability has achieved global acceptance in the construction sector [6].As a result, the construction industry is exploring alternative materials.For example, researchers have conducted several studies to integrate recycled materials into Portland cement concrete [7].However, implementing sustainable practices, particularly those related to raw material waste in civil construction, often faces multiple obstacles [8].Given the rapid environmental transformations in recent years, it is now essential to prioritize the adoption of sustainable practices within the construction sector [9] and foster awareness among stakeholders in the construction industry.Ultimately, these measures will facilitate the implementation and adoption of sustainable construction [5], reduce environmental harm, and improve sustainability [10].
Identifying adverse environmental effects has led the construction industry to integrate sustainable practices across its production processes [11], aiming to mitigating adverse impacts.However, while there is a growing emphasis on incorporating economic and environmental factors into assessment frameworks for building sustainability, social sustainability has received comparatively less attention [6].In practice, incorporating sustainability has emerged as a crucial qualitative and quantitative measure, especially for the project's environmental dimensions; however, social issues have been addressed more slowly [12].Consequently, the frameworks for assessing sustainability place less emphasis on social concerns.Future frameworks should adequately address the social dimensions of sustainability, highlighting the need for more analytical support in sustainable decision making [6].
The construction sector has been criticized for its lack of sustainability, underscoring the need for practical tools to evaluate and enhance this dimension.However, sustainability assessment is challenging for project managers due to the multifaceted nature of sustainability and its pillars, requiring project managers to prioritize and select appropriate indicators [13].As a result, the construction industry has developed several indicators to measure sustainability.Indeed, selecting appropriate sustainability indicators throughout the execution of a construction project is crucial to achieve sustainability goals [14].
Sustainable development is a comprehensive concept that underscores the need to integrate and achieve a dynamic equilibrium among economic, social, and environmental dimensions within a given area.The primary objective of sustainable development is to guarantee equitable outcomes for both current and future generations [15].In this space, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a progressive trajectory for the global community, considering social, economic, and environmental sustainability across all policies and activities to eliminate poverty and inequality and achieve a more prosperous society [16].The SDGs represent a comprehensive framework for the construction sector to advance sustainable development within the environment, society, and economy [17] and offer an alternative perspective for converting global needs and goals into practical business options [16].In the same context, the construction sector has demonstrated its significant capacity and potential to contribute to achieving the SDGs [18].
The construction industry is vital to achieving the SDGs since it serves as the physical foundation for the economic activities required to achieve both short-term economic growth and long-term development.Moreover, this industry serves as a source of revenue and significantly contributes to many economic sectors.Products from the construction industry are crucial to improving overall quality of life.However, the sector must execute each constructed item with the utmost care to meet the demands of the global agenda.Therefore, it is crucial to establish a method for assessing the achievement of sustainability goals within a project [19], especially since such projects serve various critical functions in society and everyday life.
The construction industry has a worldwide reputation as a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption worldwide.This makes achieving sustainability a key goal for the building and construction industry, mainly to support the global transition to a sustainable carbon-neutral built environment.The ratification of the 2030 Agenda and the associated SDGs serve as strategic tools in this area [20].
Assessing and tracking the sustainability of construction projects during their lifecycles is necessary for stakeholders to inform implementation and achieve sustainability more efficiently.All involved stakeholders, including but not limited to planners, contractors, and facility managers, must use a sustainability assessment method to establish sustainable project goals, choose sustainable execution options, and operate sustainably designed facilities [21].Integrating sustainability into the project management and delivery processes is essential to guarantee the sustainability of projects and the assets they generate [22].
Sustainable project management approaches have consistently grown in significance in recent years.Relevant indicators serve as a method for guiding contemporary projects towards sustainability.Therefore, it is essential to determine a specific group of sustainability indicators that impact such processes [23].
The project manager makes critical decisions about sustainability in both governmental and commercial building projects.Thus, examining sustainable construction project management from various perspectives is becoming increasingly significant.Construction projects may include large-scale endeavors that are essential for sustained economic expansion and may need to follow environmental sustainability principles based on the project's planned material use.Although primarily financed by governmental entities, these initiatives often aim to stimulate economic expansion, frequently resulting in the implementation of smaller-scale building endeavors, which effectively impose additional time, cost, quality, and scope constraints [24].
The use of indices is a significant approach for addressing sustainability challenges.Indicators and indices are valuable instruments for objectively measuring and understanding sustainable development [15].It is imperative for the global construction sector to critically assess its sustainability practices to align them with the prevailing global patterns in sustainable development [25].
In Jordan, natural resource availability and usage create difficulties due to the limited supply of water and fossil fuels, as well as rising demand.In particular, Jordan has some of the world's fewest water sources and is thus facing severe water shortages, contributing to several significant challenges such as the overuse of groundwater, rising demand, and inefficient practices.Additionally, Jordan had to rely on imports for 93% of its energy needs in 2018 compared to 97% in 2014 [26][27][28] due to a lack of domestic energy resources.Despite these challenges that Jordan is currently facing, the country has undertaken the task of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving the SDGs [29].In the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index and Dashboard Report (2023) released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Jordan ranked as the 77th country globally [30].
As discussed earlier, implementing sustainable construction projects contributes significantly to achieving the SDGs.Thus, it is crucial to assess and manage the sustainable construction industry and its contributions to improve the achievement of the SDGs in Jordan.However, developing countries have persistent difficulties in adopting sustainable practices within the construction sector [31].Moreover, there remains a lack of sustainable construction project assessment and management frameworks explicitly outlining the association between the assessment indicators for sustainable construction projects and the SDGs.
Accordingly, information on this vital topic is scarce.A quantitative assessment of sustainable construction projects' contributions to achieving the SDGs in Jordan is necessary to properly manage these projects and the construction industry in general.This study aims to create an innovative framework that incorporates the SDGs into the assessment and management of sustainable construction projects in Jordan.
The primary goal of this study is to address three research questions: (1) What are the assessment indicators for sustainable construction projects?(2) How could implementing these indicators contribute to achieving the SDGs?(3) How can we assess and manage sustainable construction projects in Jordan according to their contributions to the SDGs?Therefore, the specific objectives of this research can be summarized as follows: 1.
Identifying the assessment indicators for sustainable construction projects in Jordan; 2.
Developing indices for assessing the contributions of implementing assessment indicators for sustainable construction projects to achieving the SDGs; 3.
Developing a framework for sustainable construction project assessment and management.
The remainder of this paper is structured as follows.Section 1 introduces sustainable construction projects and sustainable development.Section 2 details the methodology employed in this research.Sections 3 and 4 describe and discuss the results in more detail.Section 5 summarizes the conclusions of this research.

Identification of Assessment Indicators Using the Delphi Method
In this study, we generated a list of appropriate assessment indicators for sustainable construction projects from previous related research [1,13,14,21,[32][33][34].Then, the Delphi consultation method was used to ascertain appropriate assessment indicators for sustainable construction projects in Jordan.
The Delphi method is a commonly used and highly acknowledged systematic approach for collecting data from and achieving reliable agreement between participants within their areas of expertise [35].The Delphi method is a practical approach for fostering consensus by using a sequence of questionnaires administered several times to gather data from a carefully chosen panel of participants [36].Over the last two decades, many construction engineering and management researchers have adopted the Delphi method as their primary research methodology [37].This method was selected for the present study because the assessment criteria for sustainable construction projects are multi-dimensional, and the approach used in this study is consensus based.Moreover, research on sustainable construction has shown the effectiveness of the Delphi approach [35,[37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44].
The dimensions and configuration of the panel are crucial for effectively implementing the Delphi method [45][46][47][48][49].The current body of construction management and engineering research has yet to conclusively determine the optimal dimensions of a Delphi panel.In the 88 examined publications that used the Delphi method, the expert panel sizes varied from 3 to 93 [37].Delphi experts should be selected based on their expertise, experience, professional qualifications, specialized knowledge and expertise, professional positions, qualifications, job experience, and background in the research subject.Furthermore, the eagerness of experts to engage is a crucial factor to consider since several iterations of surveys are necessary to achieve a consensus.
This research began the Delphi process by carefully selecting 40 Jordanian experts.The experts were chosen according to their professional backgrounds in the construction industry, a sustainable construction evaluation, and their readiness to participate.The composition of the Delphi panel was as follows: 22.5% from non-government organizations, 25% from engineering consultant companies, 17.5% from the government, 15% from supplier contracting companies, and 20% from institutions and universities.
Subsequently, a questionnaire was designed to gather the perspectives of Jordanian specialists on three aspects of assessment and 27 assessment indicators that were acquired from a comprehensive review of relevant literature.The first round of Delphi consultations included the participation of 39 experts, while the subsequent rounds involved the participation of 37 experts.The questionnaire utilized a five-point Likert scale to gather the perspectives of the specialists on the degree of significance assigned to each assessment indicator, ranging from "not important" to "extremely important".In the Delphi consultation technique, a questionnaire survey is conducted in three rounds.During the first phase in this study, the experts were requested to make adjustments, include additional indicators, and endorse or rank the assessment indicators.Each indicator's rank was determined based on the mean values.
Consequently, a primary area focus was determined.The design of the second-round questionnaire survey aligned with that of the first-round questionnaire and incorporated input from the experts.The experts were provided the second-round questionnaire to review and reassess their original ideas and conclusions.Subsequently, the comments provided by the experts in the second round of the questionnaire were analyze.The consensus was then assessed, with the results indicating few changes in the opinions of each expert when compared to the first response.The outcomes of this round were condensed and disseminated again in a subsequent round.The third round of the questionnaire consisted of evaluation indicators similar to those used in the second round.Summaries of the first-and second-round questions were included in the third-round questionnaire, representing the experts' viewpoints as a statistically derived group answer (mean/median).The survey was then sent to the panel of Delphi experts to obtain their final assessments of the indicators.In addition, the experts determined the significance threshold for each assessment indicator to enhance the quality of judgments and augment the general level of accuracy.While various analytic techniques are available for assessing consensus [37], the mean and standard deviation were selected in this research.Standard deviations for the assessment indicators below 1 indicated a consensus among the experts.

Weighting Assessment Indicators Using the RII
The RII can be applied to analyze and rank various elements [50] and has attracted increasing attention in previous studies on sustainable construction [51][52][53][54][55][56].After adopting the Delphi technique to identify applicable assessment indicators for sustainable construction projects in Jordan, the RII method was employed to determine the weights assigned to the specified assessment indicators based on their contributions to achieving the SDGs.
The assessment indicators were evaluated using a Likert scale with five points, from "very low" to "very important".A questionnaire was then developed and sent to 120 experts, including those who previously participated in the Delphi method.A significant association between assessment indicators and SDGs was considered when the mean value of the responses exceeded 3 (p-value < 0.05).The RII was calculated if there was a substantial correlation between each assessment indicator and SDG.Equation (1), as described in [57], was used to compute the RII for each assessment indicator.The computational procedure included computing the geometric means of the RII values for each assessment indicator.Here, a higher RII value indicates a more significant contribution to achieving the SDGs in Jordan: where W is the contribution weight of implementing each assessment indicator on achieving the SDGs, as given by respondents; A represents the highest weight, and N is the total number of respondents.

Constructing the Sustainable Construction Project Contribution Index and Framework
One useful mathematical tool for combining many variables is a composite index.This tool is widely acknowledged to represent a valuable approach for comparing performance in policy research and public communication [58].
This research utilized data collected from a survey to develop sustainable construction project contribution indices.These indices are based on the opinions of Jordanian experts on the contributions of implementing assessment indicators for sustainable construction projects (ISCP) to achieving the SDGs in Jordan.As stated in Section 2.2, a significant association between ISCP and the SDGs was considered when the mean value of the responses exceeded 3 (p-value < 0.05).The RII calculation relied upon a substantial correlation between the ISCP and SDG.The following indices were suggested in this study.
where % of Achievement is the percentage of achievement, which is 100% if the assessment indicator is achieved; % of Achievement is the percentage of achievement, which is 0% if the assessment indicator is not achieved; RII is the relative Importance Index for each assessment indicator for sustainable construction projects; ISCPi represents the assessment indicators for sustainable construction projects; and NSDGs represents the number of SDGs that the implementation of ISCPi significantly contributes to achieving.

The Integrated Sustainable Construction Project Contributions Index (ISCPCI)
ISCPCI is an integrated index that describes the overall contributions of sustainable construction projects to the achievement of the SDGs in Jordan.The summation of all SCPICI ISCPi values was used to calculate the ISCPCI: (3)

Validating Results
The focus group discussion method has attracted increasing attention in previous studies on sustainable construction [59][60][61][62].The proposed framework and results were validated using a focus group discussion approach.Ten Jordanian construction project specialists, including both males and females, were chosen based on their skills, roles, and experience.These experts came from various backgrounds, including professionals such as contractors, engineering consultants, government officials, and university-based academic experts.Thus, the experts possessed both academic and practical expertise in sustainable construction projects.

Identified Assessment Indicators for Sustainable Construction Projects
The identification of assessment indicators for sustainable construction projects was guided by prior research ( [1,13,14,21,[32][33][34]) and expert opinions.A framework with two hierarchical levels was built using the consensus of the Delphi panelists (Table 1).Three environmental, economic, and social dimensions were identified, including twenty-seven assessment indicators.Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

The Weighting of Assessment Indicators for Sustainable Construction Projects
The RII values shown in Table 3 provide statistical evidence for the correlation between the assessment indicators for sustainable construction projects (ISCP) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).The calculation of RIIs was contingent upon identifying a significant relationship between each assessment indicator (ISCP) and SDG.The relationship was considered significant if the mean of the responses exceeded three, and the p-value was less than 0.05.

Proposed Indices and Framework
A framework with two hierarchical levels was proposed based on the consensus of the Delphi panelists.This framework features three environmental, economic, and social dimensions, including twenty-seven assessment indicators for sustainable construction projects (ISCP).Table 4 presents the identified assessment indicators (ISCP); the RII values, which represent the weight of each ISCP based on its contributions to achieving each SDG; the overall RII value for each ISCP, which represents the geometric mean of all RII values for each ISCP; the SCPICI, which is a comprehensive index that quantifies the overall percentage contribution of each ISCP to achieving all SDGs; and the Integrated Sustainable Construction Project Contributions Index (ISCPCI), which is an integrated index that describes the overall contributions of a sustainable construction project to achieving the SDGs in Jordan.If all assessment indicators of a sustainable construction project are achieved, the maximum value of the ISCPCI would be 391.57.Figures 1-3 show the weights of the assessment indicators based on the SCPICI.Figure 4 shows the contributions of sustainable construction projects to achieving the SDGs.

Validation of the Proposed Framework
In this study, experts were provided a suggested framework.They gave their opinions on the ease or difficulty in applying this framework and conveyed their thoughts on the subject matter's resilience and applicability within the specific context of Jordan.
All the participants in the focus group agreed that the framework is simple and fits Jordan's specific circumstances.Moreover, the experts determined that the proposed framework provides substantial insights into how sustainable construction projects might contribute to achieving the SDGs in Jordan.The experts also agreed that the suggested indices would help evaluate sustainable construction projects.
Nine participants, representing a majority of 90%, reached a consensus on the chosen research methodology for developing the suggested framework, primarily because of its high reliability.Thus, this study may help academics and policymakers worldwide create a new framework for sustainable construction projects in any country.It could also improve existing evaluation systems for sustainable construction projects.Overall, the participants validated the proposed framework.

Validation of the proposed framework
In this study, experts were provided a suggested framework.They gave their opinions on the ease or difficulty in applying this framework and conveyed their thoughts on the subject matter's resilience and applicability within the specific context of Jordan.
All the participants in the focus group agreed that the framework is simple and fits Jordan's specific circumstances.Moreover, the experts determined that the proposed framework provides substantial insights into how sustainable construction projects might contribute to achieving the SDGs in Jordan.The experts also agreed that the suggested indices would help evaluate sustainable construction projects.
Nine participants, representing a majority of 90%, reached a consensus on the chosen research methodology for developing the suggested framework, primarily because of its high reliability.Thus, this study may help academics and policymakers worldwide create a new framework for sustainable construction projects in any country.It could also improve existing evaluation systems for sustainable construction projects.Overall, the participants validated the proposed framework.

Discussion
Recently, there has been a significant surge in research on assessing sustainable construction projects.One of this research's primary limitations is the need for a preexisting framework that incorporates the SDGs into the assessment and management of sustainable construction projects in Jordan and can quantitatively assess the contributions of sustainable construction projects to achieving the SDGs.These limitations impeded our

Discussion
Recently, there has been a significant surge in research on assessing sustainable construction projects.One of this research's primary limitations is the need for a pre-existing framework that incorporates the SDGs into the assessment and management of sustainable construction projects in Jordan and can quantitatively assess the contributions of sustainable construction projects to achieving the SDGs.These limitations impeded our ability to compare the proposed framework in this research with other existing frameworks or tools.
The present research identified 27 assessment indicators for sustainable construction projects and used the proposed ISCPCI to evaluate each assessment indicator's contributions to achieving the SDGs.The indicators were as follows: SCP7.There are some similarities between the findings of this research and those of previous studies worldwide, which also found the construction industry to significantly contribute to achieving the SDGs.A previous study related to the critical role of the construction industry in achieving the SDGs [16] indicated that the construction sector is crucial in attaining almost all 17 SDGs.Ten significant SDGs, specifically SDG 3, SDGs 5-9, SDGs 11-13, and SDG 15 [16], prominently feature the roles of the construction sector.Furthermore, a previous study in Brazil [64] examined sustainability practices within the construction industry, revealing that civil construction sector practices generally contribute positively to achieving the SDGs.In particular, these practices have significantly advanced SDG 1, SDG 4, SDGs 6-7, SDG 9, and SDGs 11-12.

Conclusions
Globally, governments have formulated plans to achieve the SDGs, for which sustainable construction projects may play a substantial role.However, the relationship between the SDGs and relevant assessment indicators must be further clarified to develop an integrated sustainable construction project assessment and management system.Consequently, further information is required.The present study developed a new framework incorporating the SDGs into the assessment and management of sustainable construction projects in Jordan.This framework includes 27 assessment indicators and identifies their contributions to achieving the SDGs.For this framework, two indices were constructed.The first index is the SCPICI, which quantifies the overall percentage contribution of implementing each assessment indicator for sustainable construction projects, and the second index is the ISCPCI, which describes the overall contributions of sustainable construction projects to the achievement of the SDGs in Jordan.
The top 10 weight indicators, as determined by the proposed Sustainable Construction Project Indicator Contributions Index (SCPICI), are as follows: energy-efficient management (27.58), the use of renewable energy (27.51), measurements of energy savings during the construction and operation phases (26.64), water savings during the construction and operation phases (26.18), water recycling (25.46), the use of green labels (24.69), waste management (25.18),non-pollution of surface water and underground water (20.87), the promotion of sustainable technologies and processes after project completion (19.81), and the protection of stakeholder safety (16.41).
Governments, designers, developers, and other stakeholders in the construction industry need quantitative tools to prioritize and optimize the contributions of sustainable construction projects to achieving the SDGs.Thus, applying the proposed framework could aid policymakers and practitioners in the Jordan construction industry.This research offers valuable insights and recommendations to assist the government in developing, implementing, assessing, and/or revising current sustainable construction guidelines and standards to explicitly align them with the SDGs.Diverse stakeholders, including the government, developers, and project practitioners, could utilize the suggested framework to evaluate sustainable construction projects.The suggested framework will also help academics and policymakers worldwide to develop novel sustainable construction project evaluation systems or enhance current sustainable construction project assessment systems.Therefore, the results of this study have the potential to aid in developing a framework for sustainable construction projects and improve the achievement of the SDGs in Joran and other countries.
Despite achieving the goals stated in the introduction, developing the proposed framework for sustainable construction projects in Jordan remains a research limitation.
Moreover, the lack of a pre-existing framework that quantitatively integrates SDGs into the assessment and management of sustainable construction projects in Jordan hinders comparisons between the proposed and existing frameworks.However, researchers in other countries could use this study's findings as a guideline to develop their own frameworks for sustainable construction projects.
Ultimately, incorporating SDGs into the assessment and management frameworks of sustainable construction projects in Jordan may optimize their contribution to achieving these goals.

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. Ranking of social assessment indicators based on the SCPICI.

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. Ranking of social assessment indicators based on the SCPICI.

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. Ranking of social assessment indicators based on the SCPICI.

Figure 3 .Figure 3 .
Figure 3. Ranking of economic assessment indicators based on the SCPICI.

Figure 4 .
Figure 4.The sustainable construction project's contributions to achieving the SDGs.

Figure 4 .
Figure 4.The sustainable construction project's contributions to achieving the SDGs.

Table 1 .
Table 1 presents the identified assessment indicators.Table 2 shows the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals extracted from the website of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform/Sustainable Development Goals [63].Identified assessment indicators for a sustainable construction project.

Table 3 .
Weights of assessment indicators based on their contributions to achieving the SDGs.

Table 4 .
Proposed indices and framework for sustainable construction projects.