Wilbraham’s Words: April 2018

Constructing Excellence

With the upcoming Project 13 launch at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) on May 1st, I thought I would use the platform of this blog to draw attention to the ambitions of and necessity for this transformational project which I have been fortunate to be at the heart of over the last year as the sponsor of the Capable Owner workstream.

Project 13 is a collaboration between the Infrastructure Client Group and industry partners with support from the ICE looking to revitalise the current operating model for infrastructure development. Particularly in light of recent events and trends in Britain’s infrastructure environment which have highlighted the necessity for immediate industry transformation, this approach will be built upon innovation and collaboration, in order to overcome the series of disparate relationships between owners and suppliers that currently affect productivity, wastage and performance.

The project and the community that has been built around Project 13 covers five strands: Governance, Organisation, Integration, Capable Owner and Digital Transformation, each of which will produce a suite of tools to assist organisations from across the sector with the transition. Each of these strands will be launched on May 1st following a year of development, as well as an additional Blueprint and Commercial Handbook, which is aimed at creating a smooth transition for businesses undertaking the Project 13 model. It provides detailed and comprehensive guidance to help organisations build capacity, learn from best practice and create their own commercial approach. It covers aligning commercial incentives to programme outcomes, selecting the best enterprise partners, shared risk management and contracting in an enterprise. Although only an enabler to support the development of an enterprise, the commercial approach will undoubtedly be where the impact of Project 13 is felt most sharply. On May 1st, we will also release the first step of the wider training and accreditation programme, with an online training module – Project 13 Business Model Overview.

If you are interested in signing up to be a member of the Project 13 Community, then register your interest by emailing [email protected]