There are four main categories of infrastructure
projects from the UK Government: They are transformation and service delivery
(transformation), information and communication technology (ICT), military
capability, and infrastructure and construction.
Number of projects 143
Cost of total projects £455.5bn
2016-17 budget £24.6bn
• Government transformation and service
delivery – 40 projects worth £71.1bn
• ICT – 39 projects worth £18.6bn
• Infrastructure and construction –
37 projects worth £222.5bn
• Military – 27 projects worth £143.3bn
PROJECT CATEGORIES
With 40 projects, transformation remains the largest single
category in the portfolio, despite a net reduction of 13 in the year.
Transformation continues to be an area of high priority for government as we
strive to deliver government services more efficiently and to improve the way
government interacts with its citizens.
ICT represents the second largest group with 39 projects,
though these have the lowest total whole-life cost. ICT projects enable cost
savings through the restructuring of legacy IT contracts and the development of
new, flexible and more effective systems.
Infrastructure and construction represents the largest growth
area, with nine new projects joining, including five Network Rail projects
following the reclassification of Network Rail as a central government body. It
is also the largest category in terms of whole-life cost, with a current value
of over £222.5 billion. This is consistent with levels of investment in the
National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline, and government investment in
UK economic infrastructure.
Military capability continues to be the smallest category by
number, with 27 projects, but as with last year, it remains the second highest
in terms of whole-life cost. This reflects the complexity and scale of
individual military projects, and the continuing investment in maintaining UK
national security.
KEY PROJECTS
ICT – Home Office Biometrics Programme
The Biometrics Programme will establish a single, integrated
real-time biometrics service that will help protect our borders and communities.
Infrastructure and construction – Highways
England A14 road scheme
The A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme is a strategic
east-west road link that will relieve traffic congestion in the area, connect
communities and unlock local economic growth.
Military capability – MOD Airseeker project
The Airseeker project will change the Boeing KC-135 aircraft
into a new surveillance aircraft, which will enable the military to gather more
data from the air in order to support troops on the ground.
DWP Fraud, Error and Debt Programme
The Fraud, Error and Debt Programme supports the Department
for Work and Pensions (DWP) and wider government strategy to reduce the levels
of fraud, error and debt across the benefit and tax credit systems.
Transformation projects are often the most complex and
challenging projects to deliver in government due to the large range and scale
of change required.
Major transformation projects are typically delivered over
multiple phases, require new operating models, new and innovative ways of
working, and cultural and organisational change. They also change the way
services are delivered to citizens and businesses.
There is a wide variety in the types of transformation
project being delivered. One example is the Courts and Tribunal Reform Project,
which will improve the efficiency of the justice system and enable citizens to
use digital court services. Another very different transformation example is the
Ministry of Defence’s Future Accommodation Model Project, which will change how
the department’s estate and workforce are managed.
In response to the challenges, and to improve how government
delivers transformation projects, the Transformation Peer Group (TPG) was
established in 2016. The TPG is an advisory group that brings together the
combined expertise of the delivery departments with the IPA and the Government
Digital Service (GDS), to help government improve how it identifies, defines
and delivers transformation.