The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA), which provides expert support for the government’s major economic projects, has launched new content for the Project Initiation Routemap for improving project delivery.

The Project Initiation Routemap is a strategic tool that allows sponsors and clients to address the problems that commonly emerge at the beginning of major projects, setting themselves up to succeed.

Launched in January, the new Infrastructure and Projects Authority amalgamated two existing bodies, Infrastructure UK and the Major Projects Authority, bringing together the financing, delivery and assurance of projects under one roof for the first time. These range from large scale infrastructure projects such as Crossrail and the Thames Tideway Tunnel, to major transformation programmes such as Universal Credit.

 The aim of the Routemap is to achieve more efficient outcomes and to address the high cost of delivering UK infrastructure by ensuring  client capability aligns with challenges faced in order to optimise supply chain engagement.

It forms part of the government’s National Infrastructure Delivery Plan, which sets out how the government will deliver key projects and programmes over the next 5 years. Over 20 major projects, and programmes including the Environment Agency’s flood risk management  Thames Estuary Phase 1 Programme and Anglian Water’s AMP6 Alliance Strategy, have undergone routemap assessments, helping to drive their successful delivery.

The launch includes two new modules on risk management and asset management to complement the 5 existing modules. The risk management module will help project leaders identify and mitigate the factors that can prevent a project from meetings its objectives. The asset management module will help projects secure the best value for taxpayers and investors by ensuring they focus on managing assets across their whole lives.

Following the launch, the IPA will begin to broaden the scope of the routemap from economic infrastructure to include construction and transformation projects in the government’s Major Projects Portfolio.

At a launch event at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Tony Meggs, Chief Executive of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, said:

“I’m delighted to launch this new content for the IPA’s Project Initiation Routemap. Studies have demonstrated that many problems encountered in the delivery of projects can be traced back to issues in the early stages of development. The routemap is a vital tool for setting up major projects to succeed and I look forward to applying it to the full range of projects in the government’s Major Projects Portfolio.”

Nick Baveystock, Director General of the Institution of Civil Engineers said the Project Initiation Routemap update would further strengthen UK clients’ capability to deliver infrastructure and construction projects to time, budget and specification.

CECA: Procurement Routemap will deliver real innovation

 Civil engineers today welcomed the publication of the updated  Project Initiation Routemap by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.

Commenting, CECA Head of External Affairs, Marie-Claude Hemming said:

"We are now in the golden era for infrastructure project delivery with strategically important major projects to be delivered over the next few years.”

 "We therefore welcome the publication of the routemap, which will guide clients to ensure that the right questions are asked and that the key risks and opportunities are identified during the procurement process.”

 "In turn this will drive innovative solutions from the infrastructure supply chain resulting in the delivery of truly world-class infrastructure across the UK."

Click here to download the Anglian Water AMP6 Alliance case study

Click here to download the Environment Agency TEP1 case study