UK: The Competition & Markets Authority has launched a market study into opportunities to improve public procurement to make the design, planning and delivery of rail and road infrastructure more cost-effective.
The review will focus on:
- ensuring public authorities access and examine the right information to make well-reasoned decisions, and if they can effectively work with the market to deliver projects on time, to a high quality and within anticipated budgets;
- assessing if any procurement, planning or other regulatory processes limit incentives to enter, expand and innovate;
- any changes needed to incentivise and support civil engineering firms to deliver public roads and railways in a way that best delivers UK productivity and growth.
‘Public authorities and the civil engineering sector must be able to work together to deliver projects on time, within budget and to high standards’, said CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell on June 19. ‘This review is a crucial step in identifying barriers holding back the sector — supporting the drive to get Britain building and ensuring every penny spent is delivering value for taxpayers.’
The study will focus on the full life cycle of roads and railways, including their enhancement and maintenance. It excludes HS2, ‘given it has undergone multiple reviews’.
CMA plans to publish an interim report setting out its initial findings in November. The study will result in recommendations to government, and does not give the authority the power directly to intervene in the market.
