Unlocking success in capital delivery through collaboration and certainty

It was great to see our industry come together at the first meeting our new Capital Delivery Forum. The resulting wish list captures our shared clear, collective ambition for improving capital delivery, with a focus on collaborative procurement, standardisation, and design assurance. As I see it, successful delivery of complex projects in the sector hinges on three fundamental principles.

First, placing collaboration and behaviours at the heart of delivery. At PA, our cross-sector experience shows this is what drives long-term partnerships to succeed. Utilities are increasingly adopting collaborative delivery models such as long-term strategic partnerships and alliances. It is important to recognise the length of these programmes and the need to design models that remain fit for purpose beyond day one. This also requires robust governance and the development of intelligent client functions – the in-house capability to actively manage these complex, long-term partnerships to ensure they deliver sustained value. There is so much the utilities sector can learn from adjacent sectors who have successfully adopted long-term, collaborative enterprise models.

Second, and linked to the length and complexity of these programmes, certainty of pipeline is key to providing the supply chain with the confidence to invest in innovation, people, and equipment. This will help build a more sustainable and resilient supply chain for the future.

And third, this evolution must happen in the context of a significant shortage of skills and resources in the industry. Providing the supply chain with the certainty to invest in people and retention of top talent is key to successful delivery of this unprecedented level of capital spend over the next decade.

It is important these principles are embedded into our thinking as we move from a list of objectives to a practical plan for delivery. The forum has provided the platform; now we have the opportunity to build a resilient and transformative future.

This article was first published on Utility Week.