A cross-party group of MPs has warned that systemic failures in government project delivery risk derailing Britain’s infrastructure ambitions unless ministers act fast.
In a new report, Building a Better Future, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Project Delivery (APPGPD) calls for a radical shift in the way Whitehall plans and delivers major national projects.
The inquiry found too many schemes fall into a “valley of death” between political ambition and delivery reality, with projects delayed, over budget, and losing momentum through bureaucracy and ministerial churn.
The report urges ministers to strengthen project skills across Whitehall, protect long-term schemes from short-term politics, and establish a National Infrastructure Delivery Skills Roadmap to tackle the talent gap.
Other recommendations include mandatory project management training for senior civil servants and giving the National Infrastructure and Systems Transformation Authority (NISTA) powers to oversee projects from policy to completion.
It calls for much earlier supplier involvement in procurement. This would include bringing project specialists in at the policymaking phase and ensure project delivery skills and expertise are built in from inception.
This should be accompanied by Departmental benchmarks and clear targets for the proportion of officials who are delivery-focused professionals.
APPG chair Henry Tufnell MP said: “If we want to build the infrastructure that changes people’s lives, we need to get serious about the changes required to make that happen. Our current system is an obstacle to success – it’s time for Government to clear the path to building a better future.”
from Construction Enquirer https://ift.tt/iP35bEY