Infrastructure
Infrastructure cost review
The Infrastructure Charter
The Government has published a Charter which sets out the priorities and key components for reform and behavioural change, to be embedded into client and supply chain practice at all levels. The Charter aims to change behaviours and working practice for infrastructure delivery to:
- provide improved transparency and certainty around the infrastructure forward programme;
- group projects into more efficient longer-term programmes with clear outcome based objectives;
- encourage innovation and allow for earlier and integrated supply chain involvement through improved competition and procurement processes;
- seek the best whole life outcome rather than seeking the lowest cost for a given specification;
- select supply chain partners on the basis of their ability to deliver innovative solutions set against transparent and affordable cost targets and long-term outcomes;
- develop appropriate client technical expertise and intelligent commissioning capability and make better use of infrastructure data to support decision making and the setting of cost targets; and
- create the environment for industry to invest in new technologies and skills improvement to deliver greater outcome-based efficiencies.
To embed these goals into departmental and regulatory planning, departments will report annually on progress against these objectives, through the Government Construction Board, the first report will be published March 2012.
Industry alliance quote from ACE, CECA, CPA and ICE:
“Infrastructure UK has worked with representatives from industry to develop the Charter. Jointly the Association for Consultancy and Engineering; Civil Engineering Contractors Association; Construction Products Association and the Institution of Civil Engineers have given their backing to the Charter and will work as an alliance to provide feedback from industry as it is implemented. Representing the four bodies, ACE chief executive Nelson Ogunshakin said: "Infrastructure UK has set out an ambitious programme of change for both the government client and our industry, and it is essential that we all work together to deliver an infrastructure sector that is fit for the 21st century. The Charter is at the heart of this change, defining and delivering a new model for behaviours by both the client and the supply chain. Our four organisations welcome the chance to play a part in this process, bringing together the experience of the whole supply chain to support implementation of the Charter across the industry".
Paul Skinner quote:
“Infrastructure UK’s Cost Review points to some of the shortcomings in the current approach to planning and delivering infrastructure and has proposed a number of significant new initiatives. Previous attempts to bring about improvements have largely failed to embed the cultural and behavioural changes vital to underpin more collaborative and efficient models. A new culture and business models are essential if clients and industry are to have the confidence to innovate and be capable of rising to the challenges set out by Infrastructure UK. The commitments set out in this Charter are the building blocks for change.”
The Government published on 31 March 2011 a detailed programme of activity through 2011 and beyond, to effect change and realise the savings which were first identified in the Infrastructure Cost Report of December 2010.
- Press release: Infrastructure delivery models to be reformed (PDF 122KB)
- Infrastructure cost review: implementation plan (PDF 627KB)
The documents above are available in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF). You can download the software free of charge from the Adobe website. For alternative ways to read PDF documents and further information on website accessibility, visit the HM Treasury accessibility page.
Contact us
You can contact the IUK cost review team via email at infrastructurecost@hmtreasury.gsi.gov.uk.
