Published Online:June 2026
Product Name:The IUP Journal of Supply Chain Management
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJSCM030626
DOI:10.71329/IUPJSCM/2026.23.2.44-62
Author Name:Ghosh A K and Sil Subhabrata
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Strategic
Download Format:PDF
Pages:44-62
Material procurement risk has emerged as one of the most critical and important issues in construction project performance, particularly after the post-2020 supply chain shocks. This paper presents a bibliometric and systematic review of the intellectual landscape, the development of themes, and the research frontiers in this area of study. The data for the study was obtained from primary academic databases (Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Emerald, ASCE Library, Taylor & Francis, Wiley and SpringerLink), and the analysis included both performance analysis (publication trends, top authors, sources, countries and the most-cited documents) and science mapping (keyword co-occurrence and thematic clustering). The analysis demonstrates that the procurement discipline has evolved from a transactional, cost-and tendering-oriented way of thinking into a systemic way of thinking about procurement risk—that is, towards a resilience approach. Five intellectual clusters have been identified: (i) fragmentation and complexity of the construction supply chain; (ii) procurement systems and risk allocation; (iii) project performance and the relationship between cost, time and quality; (iv) disruption, uncertainty and resilience; and (v) emerging-economy and institutional contexts. The study also finds that there are some entrenched weaknesses—too much reliance on perception surveys, under developed project type differentiation, and the under development of causal modeling and a lack of evidence from emerging economies, particularly India. It concludes with a research agenda aimed at material procurement risk as a transformative construct throughout the entire lifespan of construction projects.
With its extensive forward and backward linkages with manufacturing, infrastructure, housing, energy and services sectors, the construction industry plays a central role in national economic development.