Although the concept of green procurement is increasingly debated as an environmental policy instrument that considers the impact of procurement on the sustainability of project development, however, the concept in Malaysia is still in its infancy and facing various barriers and challenges to make a paradigm shift towards a greener approach. Therefore, this paper tends to determine the challenges that hinder green procurement implementation in building and infrastructure projects. This could pave the road to establish a transformation plan that could gradually overcome the current challenges in order to reach the desired level. The study is based on a survey conducted in the Malaysian construction industry at which 380 corporations were surveyed to determine their perspective on 28 pre-determined challenges and their degree of significance. A number of 142 were valid responses. Results revealed that there is an excellent consistency in the significance of the identified challenges. Reducing the use of natural resources and related waste, minimizing the high cost of eco- products, integrating quality environmental management into planning and operation and achieving the value of money are among the important challenges. Achieving financial, environmental and operational impact of green procurement performance are also significant challenges. © 2020 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.