I do wonder what the UK would be like if we simply abandoned the notion that we can do large infrastructure projects. We’d save a bunch of money and time in paper work. Swathes of people up and down the country would no longer be compelled to block planning applications. Just think! And then we could put that money to better use like increasing MPs salaries… /s.
We don’t need to stop doing them (we need way more). We do need to stop incentivising lowball cost estimates at the bidding stage and then complaining that the cost is so much more than expected.
And we need to stop outsourcing all the big jobs. There’s no need for anyone to make a profit out of infrastructure that is absolutely necessary for the economy to function properly. Govt needs to relearn how to project manage and regain the institutional expertise required to do it well.
I do wonder what the UK would be like if we simply abandoned the notion that we can do large infrastructure projects. We’d save a bunch of money and time in paper work. Swathes of people up and down the country would no longer be compelled to block planning applications. Just think! And then we could put that money to better use like increasing MPs salaries… /s.
We don’t need to stop doing them (we need way more). We do need to stop incentivising lowball cost estimates at the bidding stage and then complaining that the cost is so much more than expected.
And we need to stop outsourcing all the big jobs. There’s no need for anyone to make a profit out of infrastructure that is absolutely necessary for the economy to function properly. Govt needs to relearn how to project manage and regain the institutional expertise required to do it well.