A group of 12 Tier 1 contractors have put together a manifesto urging the next government to “depoliticise infrastructure” among other recommendations to effectively boost the UK’s economic growth and productivity.
Blueprint for Growth is a document signed by the chief executives of AtkinsRéalis, Balfour Beatty, Bam, Costain, Galliford Try, Laing O’Rourke, Mace, Morgan Sindall, Mott McDonald, Vinci Construction, VolkerWessels UK and WSP.
It shares 12 recommendations the firms believe the next government should implement to help the built environment and enable growth.
The 12 priorities for the governemnt that will assume power after the General Election on 4 July are:
- Depoliticise infrastructure
- Appoint a cabinet minister responsible for infrastructure
- Increase private investment in public infrastructure
- Timely, holistic decision-making on key areas
- Improve budget setting for infrastructure schemes
- Efficient risk allocation
- Investment continuity
- Simplify the judicial review process
- Mandate consideration of the national interest
- Self-certification system to accelerate delivery of infrastructure projects
- Transform the Apprenticeship Levy
- A flexible immigration
Where depoliticising infrastructure is concerned, the firms have recommended for the government to adopt the recommendations from the National Infrastructure Assessment undertaken by the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) and to empower the organisation to lead the implementation of a strategy for the next 10-20 years, supported by an act of parliament.
They have further requested for 30% of all government funding to be promised for critical national infrastructure.
Where increasing private investment in public infrastructure is concerned, the manifesto states this will be achieved by addressing obstacles such as policy stability and uncertainties in the planning system to attract more private investment in UK infrastructure.
Additionally, the firms assert that consultation should take place on the development of a new financing mechanism to replace the current model of Private Finance Initiative (PFI). This is a long term contract between a private party and a government entity where the private sector designs, builds, finances and operates a public asset and related services.
Timely decision making will also be a crucial factor for delivering infrastructure and ensuring growth, according to the manifesto. This will require a re-think of the decision-making process, with the document stating that “projects should not be given the go-ahead, and budgets and contingencies should not be set, until their design reaches a far greater level of maturity than is often the case at the moment”.
It adds that “embracing whole-life decision-making and regularised investment in critical
projects such as rail electrification are vital for sector stability and efficiency”.
For the improve budget setting recommendation, the manifesto lays out action points. These are:
- Increase the use of collaborative procurement models such as Early Supplier Involvement (ESI), as early as possible in the development cycle
- Adopt a holistic approach to infrastructure investment, considering the entire lifespan of projects to promote sustainability and efficiency
- To invest in a rolling programmes of infrastructure enhancements
- Support Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and a digital way of working
The group has further called for the simplification of the process for automatically refusing judicial reviews where a high-quality examination has already occurred during the Development Consent Order (DCO) process. They have called for set timescales for resolving judicial reviews and their redetermination processes to be established to avoid delays.
This is in response to a recent spate of DCO approval decisions being taken to a judicial review by campaign groups, most notably around major road schemes such as the A303 Stonehenge Tunnel and the A66 Trans-Pennine upgrade.
The manifesto penned by the group aims to represent a collective commitment from the infrastructure and construction industry to collaborate with policymakers, industry stakeholders and government agencies to help develop the 12 recommendations.
It reads: “Ensuring stability, continuity, certainty, and a steady flow of investment in infrastructure is crucial.
“These factors not only attract investment and reduce the costs associated with delivering infrastructure, but also foster economic growth by ensuring both the timely delivery of essential services and a strong UK construction and infrastructure sector – a key UK employer.
“Additionally, these factors enhance competitiveness and demonstrate a commitment to long-term development, ultimately benefiting both the economy and citizens’ quality of life.
“In the UK, infrastructure investment is often characterised by a stop-start funding approach and delays to major schemes. Responsibilities for infrastructure are divided among various departments, adding complexity to delivery.”
Last month, the Labour Party revealed plans to combine the National Infrastructure Commission and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority into a single “powerful” new infrastructure body called National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (Nista) if it comes into power following the General Election.
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