Becoming a better infrastructure client

We must improve the way we deliver public infrastructure if we’re to successfully address New Zealand’s infrastructure challenge.

Today, we have published two new papers that highlight some failings in our current and traditional approaches to infrastructure delivery. The papers, Delivering Better Value and Better Outcomes and Towards Better Contracts, suggest new ways that can bring us better value and better outcomes from what we build.

Delivering Better Value and Better Outcomes looks at the challenges with traditional project-by-project, outsourced procurement models and identifies seven principles that delivery agencies can utilise to become more sophisticated clients. It makes the case that longer-term more collaborative partnerships can improve outcomes, subject to infrastructure clients retaining the appropriate in-house capability and expertise to manage contracts effectively.

The paper is aimed at public sector organisations who manage, plan, deliver, and maintain infrastructure – particularly decision makers responsible for or involved with procurement decisions and/or supply chain management. It will also interest suppliers and advisors of infrastructure client organisations.

Towards Better Contracts report provides a summary of interviews conducted with infrastructure contracting professionals in the public and private sectors around current practices, and barriers to better contracting and contract management as a means to better project outcomes. It aims to increase transparency and awareness of current procurement practice challenges.