UK launches major infrastructure database tracking progress on more than 700 projects

AN INTERACTIVE dashboard listing 775 major infrastructure projects worth more than £500bn (US$672m) has been released by the UK government to give business confidence to invest in projects, skills and tech development.

The database uses data drawn from government, public bodies and regulated businesses showing a ten-year pipeline of planned investment worth an estimated £531bn. Users can sort by sector, and for each project review its procurement status, anticipated spend and contact details.

The tool has been launched to support the 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy that the government published last month. In the strategy, the government bemoaned “major cost overruns, projects badly off track and a huge backlog of public infrastructure not being adequately maintained.”

The Association of Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) described the release of the ‘Infrastructure Pipeline’ as a “catalyst for certainty, investment and growth”.

Marie-Claude Hemming, group policy director at ACE, said: “This is precisely the kind of clarity and long-term vision our industry needs. For too long, infrastructure planning in Britain has been plagued by short-termism, with skills and labour recruitment matching the peak and troughs of government commitment to projects.

“A steady and regularly updated pipeline creates stability in the industry. Crucially it gives investors the confidence to invest in infrastructure and ACE Group members the incentivisation to invest in innovation, recruit and retain talent."

At 37%, energy projects are responsible for the largest portion of planned spend, followed by health and social care (17%), transport (14%), and the water and wastewater sector (13%).

Seeking feedback

Launching the government’s Infrastructure Strategy, Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said: “We have inherited projects where well known failures in good practice persist – failure to properly design and stick to project plans, poor commercial leadership, construction beginning too early, and political decision making that is erratic, short term, and undeliverable.”

HS2 – the UK’s planned high speed rail network – is a standout example of a major project that has been mismanaged. Last year, the National Audit Office’s reviewed the cancellation of the second stage of the project and found a series of failures in planning and risk management.

The National Infrastructure & Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), which is responsible for the new tool, said it should provide government a clear and consistent picture of all significant infrastructure investments and help inform decisions and increase coherence in spending, policy and delivery. The tool is not being updated in real time. It will be updated periodically.

NISTA said future iterations of the tool will initially focus on providing a better understanding of the jobs and skills that projects need. It has asked that users feedback and help improve the tool.