Survey: Public procurement for hospital construction – the human rights dimension

The insights from this survey will contribute to a chapter in the forthcoming book: “Human Rights in Sustainable Public Procurement of Infrastructure – Roads, Stadiums and Hospitals”, edited by Olga Martin-Ortega and Laura Treviño Lozano and to be published by Edward Elgar.

Construction/expansion of hospitals and other medical facilities is an area of public procurement that has grown during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that is likely to continue growing in the context of countries’ economic recovery strategies.

Through the crucial first phases of a hospital construction project – siting, planning and finance, design and construction – multiple decisions are made that can risk harm to human rights. Examples include the displacement of local communities, localized pollution, exploitation of workers on the worksite or though material supply chains, or design decisions with direct implications for physical and mental health. Conversely, all of these decisions can be made ways that mitigate risks and maximize positive social outcomes.

As environmental impacts of hospital construction are increasingly taken into account, can we likewise see momentum for human rights-respecting approaches, in turn inspiring other areas of public procurement ? The book chapter will explore the obstacles to overcome, and the factors that will help unlock a sustainable approach.

Contact Annabel Short with any questions: bellshort [@] gmail.com

Survey: Public procurement for hospital construction - the human rights dimension
In which sector do you work?
In what ways does your work intersect with procurement for hospital construction?
In what regions does this work take place?
Which of the following terms are associated most frequently with the social dimensions of procurement, in the course of your work?
Of the following human rights-related issues, which do you already address to some extent in the course of your work relating to hospital construction procurement?
Of the following human rights-related issues, which you think should be prioritized for stronger integration into procurement processes? (choose up to three)
What do you see as some of the main barriers to stronger integration of human rights considerations in hospital construction procurement processes? (Select up to three)
What do you see as priority opportunities for scaling up greater responsibility for human rights in hospital construction? (Select up to two)