The present demand for economically viable buildings in the Saudi Public
Sector is coupled with the need to maximise the efficient use of Saudi Arabian natural
resources. The lack of consideration paid to sustainability issues during the concept phase has
resulted in higher consumption of materials and energy during both the construction and
operational phases of many building projects. Although there is extensive Value Management
(VM) knowledge and experience, many who work in the Saudi Public Sector appear to have
less experience of sustainable development, consequently sustainable construction is all too
often not a major consideration. This paper is part of an ongoing research which aims to
exploit the VM experiences and skills of those in the Saudi Public Sector in order to accelerate
the understanding and implementation of sustainable development in the country. It provides
an overview of the current situation of VM and sustainability in the Saudi Public Sector by
investigating in-depth the: application of VM and sustainability; clients’ attitudes towards
both subjects; identification of the barriers that impede their application and the determination
of the level of existent knowledge about both topics in the Saudi Public Sector
