Joshua Shedrack Mangvwat

Dr. Joshua Shedrack Mangvwat is an Assistant Professor in Construction Management at the University of Limerick, with extensive academic and professional experience in construction procurement, quantity surveying, and sustainable development. His research examines how public procurement can be strategically mobilised to deliver social value in terms of worker welfare and community wellbeing, alongside cost, quality, and time performance in building and infrastructure projects.

Positioned at the intersection of construction/facilities management, public policy, and sustainability, Dr Mangvwat’s work focuses on the institutional, governance, and procurement mechanisms that shape social outcomes in publicly funded construction. His doctoral research at the University of Limerick developed an 8-step Input–Process–Output (IPO) framework that provides a structured and transferable approach for embedding social value criteria into procurement policy, tender evaluation, and contract administration. This work directly responds to national and international priorities on sustainable procurement, ethical labour practices, and socially responsible infrastructure delivery.

Dr Mangvwat’s research agenda is organised around three interconnected themes:

• Social Value and Public Procurement – integrating social sustainability, labour welfare, occupational health and safety, and ethical labour standards into procurement processes.
• Sustainable Construction Governance and Institutional Change – examining how procurement laws, norms, and professional practices influence sustainability outcomes and implementation gaps.
• Stakeholder Engagement, Performance Metrics, and Social Innovation – developing frameworks and indicators that support stakeholder participation, SME engagement, and SDG-aligned construction practices.

Research Impact and Contribution

Dr Mangvwat’s research delivers strong academic, policy, and practice impact. His work provides procurement authorities, quantity surveyors, and construction professionals with practical frameworks and evidence-based guidance for embedding social value within procurement documentation, tender assessment, and project governance. By identifying gaps between formal procurement policy and site-level practice, his research informs procurement reform aimed at improving labour conditions, community outcomes, and accountability in public construction projects.

A distinctive feature of his research is its translation into applied engagement and co-creation initiatives. This includes the development of a UL Citizens’ Assembly project titled “Co-creating Social Value Priorities in Construction”, which engages communities and stakeholders in identifying, validating, and prioritising social value outcomes for infrastructure delivery. The project demonstrates how procurement research can be operationalised through participatory approaches, producing outputs such as social value priorities, a social value toolkit, and community-informed recommendations to guide future projects.

Through such initiatives, Dr Mangvwat’s work bridges the gap between theory and practice, advancing socially responsive procurement systems while strengthening community voice, project legitimacy, and long-term sustainability outcomes.

His research also underpins a research-led teaching approach, informing module content in construction procurement, cost management, sustainability, and infrastructure delivery. Through engagement with industry stakeholders and public institutions, his work contributes to capacity building in socially responsible and sustainable procurement practices.

Scopus Indexed Publications

Mangvwat, J. S., Spillane, J. P., & Bradley, J. G. (2026). Fostering social innovation in construction ecosystem: The role of public procurement in sustainable practices. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEPP-04-2024-0063

Mangvwat, J. S., Spillane, J. P., & Bradley, J. G. (2026). Integrating social value into public procurement: A strategic framework for sustainable construction in Nigerian tertiary institutions. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBPA-07-2025-0166

Mangvwat, J. S., Spillane, J. P., & Bradley, J. G. (2025). Building better futures: Unlocking the potentials of public procurement for sustainable workers and communities. In Proceedings of the 41st Annual ARCOM Conference (pp. 721–730).

Elinwa, A. U., & Mangvwat, J. S. (2001). Time-overrun factors in Nigerian construction industry. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 127(5), 419–425.

Mangvwat, J. S., Spillane, J. P., & Bradley, J. G. (2024). Unveiling the nexus: The impact of social factors on sustainability in construction procurement. In Proceedings of the 40th Annual ARCOM Conference.

Mangvwat, J. S., Spillane, J. P., & Bradley, J. G. (2023). Instrumentality of procurement laws to implement social sustainability in Nigeria. In Proceedings of the 39th Annual ARCOM Conference (pp. 800–809).

Mangvwat, J. S., & Spillane, J. P. (2021). Social sustainability in procurement of construction projects: A literature review from a Nigerian perspective. In Proceedings of the 37th Annual ARCOM Conference (pp. 724–733).

Other Research Outputs (Selected)

Mangvwat, J. S., Spillane, J. P., & Roth, J. (2026). Co-creating social value priorities in construction. UL Citizens’ Assembly (Poster and engagement output).

Funding and Research Development

Dr Mangvwat has previously received competitive research support from the University of Limerick School of Engineering and a doctoral fee waiver. He is currently developing funding applications aligned with his research agenda, including Irish Research Council (IRC), Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), and Horizon Europe programmes. These projects focus on co-created social value frameworks, stakeholder-driven performance metrics, and socially responsible procurement systems for the Irish and international construction sectors.

Dr Joshua Mangvwat’s teaching interests lie in the intersection of construction management, procurement, sustainability, and building performance, with a strong emphasis on research-informed and practice-oriented learning. His teaching portfolio spans modules in construction procurement, project cost management, structural mechanics, structural design, and building services, reflecting both academic expertise and over a decade of industry experience.

His pedagogical approach is shaped by Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, focusing on inclusivity, accessibility, and student engagement across diverse learning needs. He adopts a blended teaching strategy that integrates real-world case studies, problem-based learning, and applied assessment methods, enabling students to connect theoretical concepts with professional practice. This includes the use of scaffolded learning materials, visual aids, and structured feedback mechanisms to support deeper understanding, particularly for non-engineering and interdisciplinary cohorts.

Dr Mangvwat is particularly interested in developing and delivering modules in:

• Construction procurement and contract management
• Sustainable construction and social value in the built environment
• Project cost management and quantity surveying practice
• Building services and facilities management
• Infrastructure delivery, policy, and governance

He is also actively developing innovative teaching content in “Social Value and Sustainable Procurement in Construction”, aligned with emerging industry and policy priorities. His teaching is closely linked to his research on public procurement and social value, ensuring that students are exposed to contemporary challenges, policy developments, and evidence-based frameworks within the construction sector.

In addition, he has strong experience in supervising undergraduate research projects, supporting students in developing critical thinking, research skills, and industry-relevant outputs. His teaching philosophy emphasises student-centred learning, continuous improvement through feedback, and the integration of research, teaching, and real-world impact, preparing graduates for professional practice and leadership in the built environment.