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New route map launched to help clients spend less on consultants

New do it yourself guide aims to advise public sector clients how to set up projects to dispense with unnecessary advice fees. 

Accompanying last week’s publication of latest progress on the Government’s Infrastructure Cost Review programme,  which reported delivery of £3.4bn or 15% savings on major projects annually, was a separate document aimed at helping clients become better at what they do.

If it is adopted by public sector clients, the theory is that they will set up their projects better and spend less with consultants so contributing to the effort to gain a 20% reduction in the cost of major infrastructure delivery in the UK.

“A key part of the process is to get clients to define success – whether that is lowest cost, timing, operational cost effectiveness and so on. And it gets them to think not ‘am I doing the project right?’ but ‘am I doing the right project?’’

Bill McIlroy, Turner and Townsend

The Project Initiation Route Map has been been put together for the Infrastructure UK Steering Group and the Infrastructure Client Group by Turner & Townsend.

According to Turner & Townsend Consulting managing director Bill McElroy, the hand book and suite of documents that make up the route map package are designed to help clients assess what their capabilities are and where they need support.

“This is something they can use to assess themselves,” he said “rather than a consultant driven box of tricks.”

A new handbook aids clients in assessing how complex their project is, how much they can organise of it themselves, and where they might need to bring in consultancy support.

Along with the handbook are modules on governance, organisational design and development, project execution strategy and project initiation that clients can use to help guide them through the various stages of setting up scheme. A procurement module is due soon.

“A key part of the process is to get clients to define success – whether that is lowest cost, timing, operational cost effectiveness and so on. And it gets them to think not ‘am I doing the project right?’ but ‘am I doing the right project?’’

The route map has been developed after a series of pilot projects and with the support of IUK Steering Group organisations including Transport for London and Anglian Water.

“It puts the power back with the clients,” says McElroy “so they are not relying on others to hold a mirror up.”

The intention is that the Infrastructure Client Group will own the whole process going forward, with clients sharing and adding to the learning so that it is always up to date and keeps being useful.

Particularly key in a market where costs of people and materials are rising is that clients look ahead at market capacity and capability, McElroy says. “They need to plan ahead and get the market geared up rather than wait until the project is defined and then go out and procure it. As a client, you can’t expect the market to sort these issues out for you.”

The big question is, of course, how long before clients buckle and bring consultants in to run the routemap process for them? McElroy hopes that will be “never”.

You can find out more about the Project Initiation Route Map here.

If you would like to contact Jackie Whitelaw about this, or any other story, please email jackie.whitelaw@infrastructure-intelligence.com.