Project delivery performance: we're actually quite good! Who knew and what changed?

Major Projects Association

This podcast explores the commonly-held perception that transport infrastructure projects are consistently over budget and underperforming and the guests discuss the findings from a recent study that reveals that this is in fact a misperception: 93% of major road schemes have a positive benefits-cost ratio and are delivered within budget. In today's podcast we ask: who knew and what changed?

Andy Murray, Executive Director of the Major Projects Association is in conversation with Paul Chapman, Senior Fellow of Saïd Business School, University of Oxford and Nirmal Kotecha, Founder and Director of Inframonik Advisory Limited and Non-Executive Director on the Board of the Major Projects Association.

They discuss Paul's recent reports, one examining the delivery performance of road projects in England and another focusing on similar projects in Sweden. These studies challenge the widely-held belief that transport infrastructure projects are consistently over budget and underperforming. They discuss the surprising findings which the reports revealed about cost efficiency and benefit delivery, for example the Said Business School study concludes that major Road schemes in England outperformed their budgeted costs by c 6-7% from 2008 onwards.

They dive into why Roads schemes in England went from cost over-runs of c. 10-15% pre-2007/8 to outperforming budgeted costs by c 6-7% post that period. They also consider whether these positive outcomes are unique to roads or can be applied to other types of major projects.
*********************

Links

Project Delivery Performance: Insights From English Roads Major Schemes. Report by Paul Chapman, 2024.

Revisiting Project Delivery Performance: Evidence from Swedish Transport Infrastructure. Research article by Paul Chapman, 2024.

Review of Highways Agency's Major Roads Programme. Report by Mike Nichols, 2007.
Nirmal Kotecha
Founder and Director of Inframonik Advisory Limited

Nirmal is the founder of Inframonik Advisory Limited which focuses on helping develop Intelligent Infrastructure Clients. He has held senior roles in several Major Infrastructure Client organisation across many sectors including, Energy, Roads and Water and led the transformation of their procurement, commercial and programme delivery capability.

He recently stepped down from UK Power Networks after serving over 12 years on the Executive Team as the Director of Capital Programme & Procurement, having successfully delivered its ED1 major capital programme via the ED1SON Alliance whilst also creating a Procurement function that has been accredited by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply as Platinum standard.

Nirmal was previously on the Board of what was the Highways Agency for almost four years as their Major Projects Director. He joined the Agency in 2008 on the back of the Nichols’ Review and is credited with transforming the Agency’s commercial and programme delivery capability.

Prior to that he was at Anglian Water where he developed the @One Alliance which is still regarded as an exemplary model for collaboratively delivering a large and complex programme of works.

Nirmal is also a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the Major Projects Association and the immediate past Chair of the Infrastructure Client Group Management Board. He is a Fellow of both the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineers and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing Supply and is an Alumnus of the London Business School.

Connect with Nirmal on LinkedIn.
Dr Paul Chapman
Senior Fellow, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Paul established Oxford’s MSc in Major Programme Management and currently serves as Academy Director for the UK Government’s Major Project Leadership Academy (MPLA). This role includes leading the “Sponsoring Major Projects Ministerial Programme” to equip UK Government Ministers to discharge their duties as major project sponsors, and co-directs the ‘Orchestrating Major Projects’ programme for sponsors who shape the operating environment that enables the delivery of major projects. He recently concluded a report for the Secretary of State for Defence on procurement reform.

Paul supports the project profession as Chair of the Association for Project Management’s Research Advisory Group, having previously completing a six year term as Board Director and Chair of the Professional Knowledge and Standards Committee followed by four years as Vice President.

Connect with Paul on LinkedIn.