This bachelor’s thesis investigates how climate-related goals are integrated and monitored in outsourced public infrastructure projects, using the Swedish Transport Administration’s (Trafikverket) expansion of the West Coast Line between Ängelholm and Maria as a case study. The analysis applies institutional theory, principal–agent theory, theories on strategic public procurement, and policy implementation theory to explore the interplay between governance, incentives, and practical implementation challenges.

The empirical material is based on semi-structured interviews with key representatives from Trafikverket and the contractor Skanska, complemented by document analysis. Findings reveal that climate goals are often down-prioritized in the most time-critical phases of construction in favor of time and cost objectives, creating an implementation gap. At the same time, the flexibility of the design–build contract can foster innovation, particularly when economic incentives are applied, but may also enable opportunistic behavior if monitoring mechanisms are insufficient.

The study concludes that climate goals in such projects require hybrid governance combining clear formal requirements with dynamic monitoring mechanisms and frequent collaboration forums. This approach is essential to avoid symbolic compliance and to ensure tangible climate benefits. The study contributes with insights on how governance models can be further developed to better support sustainability objectives in public procurement of infrastructure.