Sector: Public Administration

Rectangle 31
By Daniel Blanco
June 15th 2026

IN PERSON | Breaking silos: The power of collaboration in major projects Highlight Report

This seminar will build on a series of discussions on collaboration that have featured in recent MPA events, such as ‘The Rise of the Delivery Partner’. These have all stressed that effective collaboration” is a key enabler to the success of major projects. But what do we mean when we say and hear the word “collaboration”? As with many words we can all have our own slightly different interpretations, which in itself can we a cause of issues. Also, is this the mythical silver bullet that if we get it right will ensure success every time? Or, are there times when it isn’t needed or indeed if applied badly can be counterproductive?

Combining input from academia, leading experts and experience from major projects this event will provide:

·       A basis for discussion from research on when collaboration can be counterproductive and how to recognise the right contexts for it
·       An exploration on why effective collaboration remains so hard to achieve
·       Examples of how technology tools can support and enhance collaboration in major projects, and
·       Two case studies on how collaboration has and is being achieved in practice, and the benefits it has brought.

Please note: This is a HYBRID event, offering both in-person and online attendance options. If you would like to join us virtually, please click here to register. Spaces for in-person attendance are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. If you prefer to attend virtually, you’ll be able to access the live stream and participate in discussions online.

By Myrna Rickards
September 29th 2025

Mission-led major projects

The role of major projects in delivering the Government’s mission and the impacts the mission may have on how major projects are governed and delivered.

By Myrna Rickards
September 16th 2025

Enhancing value through project closure Highlight Report

 

Effective closure is about much more than just wrapping up a project’s activities and moving on to the next job. It is a critical phase in the project lifecycle where lasting value can be secured, lessons crystallised, and insights harvested to shape the next wave of projects within a programme.

This virtual seminar brings together leading voices from government and industry to explore how to extract more value from project closure. With a dynamic mix of project case studies, programme over views and expert analysis, this is an opportunity to:

  • Explore what “good closure” looks like across a broad range of major projects.
  • Learn how to turn closure into a value creating step in the project lifecycle.
  • Understanding common pitfalls and how to avoid them.
By Myrna Rickards
September 16th 2025

Enhancing value through project closure Full Report

 

Effective closure is about much more than just wrapping up a project’s activities and moving on to the next job. It is a critical phase in the project lifecycle where lasting value can be secured, lessons crystallised, and insights harvested to shape the next wave of projects within a programme.

This virtual seminar brings together leading voices from government and industry to explore how to extract more value from project closure. With a dynamic mix of project case studies, programme over views and expert analysis, this is an opportunity to:

  • Explore what “good closure” looks like across a broad range of major projects.
  • Learn how to turn closure into a value creating step in the project lifecycle.
  • Understanding common pitfalls and how to avoid them.
By Myrna Rickards
July 15th 2025

It’s about time – The role of timing and timescale in major projects Highlight Report

When projects have lifespans that stretch across decades, timing of when to start and how quickly to proceed can be as critical as funding or technical ability. From projects delivered at break speed pace (such as the vaccine taskforce), an asset designed for 100+ years (such as a tidal barrage or tunnels) or projects themselves that are century spanning in construction (such as cathedrals) – the timeline of a major project fundamentally shapes its deliverability, approach, and long-term impact.

This virtual seminar will explore how timing, timescales, and momentum influence project success – and what happens when a project moves too early, too late, or fails to move at all. Understanding how to time and pace a project is crucial. Move too early, and you risk running out of pre-project money before the planets align for project funding, finance and political will. Move too late, and the alignment may have already passed and the momentum may be lost entirely. Is there a better way of understanding when the timing right to get started and to understanding a project’s optimal pace?

The programme will also explore whether it’s time to add a sixth lens to our business cases—a temporal case—to help future projects better articulate timing, longevity, and strategic alignment over the long term. Join us as we explore these very questions.

Taking place after our site visit to Liverpool on Wednesday 18 June (click here for more information), this seminar will build on those insights and reflections to deepen the conversation around strategic timing in project delivery. The event will take place virtually on Tuesday 15 July, with further details and a full programme to be announced soon.

By Myrna Rickards
July 15th 2025

It’s about time – The role of timing and timescale in major projects Full Report

 

When projects have lifespans that stretch across decades, timing of when to start and how quickly to proceed can be as critical as funding or technical ability. From projects delivered at break speed pace (such as the vaccine taskforce), an asset designed for 100+ years (such as a tidal barrage or tunnels) or projects themselves that are century spanning in construction (such as cathedrals) – the timeline of a major project fundamentally shapes its deliverability, approach, and long-term impact.

This virtual seminar will explore how timing, timescales, and momentum influence project success – and what happens when a project moves too early, too late, or fails to move at all. Understanding how to time and pace a project is crucial. Move too early, and you risk running out of pre-project money before the planets align for project funding, finance and political will. Move too late, and the alignment may have already passed and the momentum may be lost entirely. Is there a better way of understanding when the timing right to get started and to understanding a project’s optimal pace?  

The programme will also explore whether it's time to add a sixth lens to our business cases—a temporal case—to help future projects better articulate timing, longevity, and strategic alignment over the long term. Join us as we explore these very questions.

Taking place after our site visit to Liverpool on Wednesday 18 June (click here for more information), this seminar will build on those insights and reflections to deepen the conversation around strategic timing in project delivery. The event will take place virtually on Tuesday 15 July, with further details and a full programme to be announced soon.

By Myrna Rickards
May 20th 2025

Managing change without losing control – Balancing flexibility and discipline in major projects Full Report

 

When projects have lifespans that run into years if not decades, some change is inevitable. Technology advances, the regulatory landscape shifts, stakeholder demands evolve and the economic circumstances in which the project was born can alter out of all recognition.

This creates many challenges and opportunities for project professionals. How do we distinguish between necessary adjustment to secure outcomes and undisciplined scope creep inflating costs and extending schedule? What kinds of governance and project controls are most effective in different circumstances or types of projects? What should leaders do to create an environment that supports their chosen approach to risk management?

This half day seminar will explore this topic through case studies of the very different change management challenges of Sizewell C and London’s Stratford Waterfront programmes. This will be complemented by insight from the energy and defence sectors, both of which are experiencing rapid changes to the environment in which their major projects and programmes are being delivered. There will also be an opportunity to hear from two of the contributors to the Association for Project Management’s new guide Project Controls in the 21st Century.

By Myrna Rickards
March 19th 2025

Trends in major project procurement Full Report

 

It is not only the UK government that is linking increased spending on infrastructure to growth and addressing key economic, environmental and social challenges.  Across the globe there is ever growing demand for new energy sources for use in new locations, achieving climate resilience, addressing social mobility and urban renewal and all within a context of digital transformation.

As noted in other recent MPA events, funding is a key enabler for this increased spending (Developing new funding models for major infrastructure, 16 January 2025).  But, there is little value in having funding if those who will design, develop and deliver the required infrastructure cannot be sourced and put to work.  This is particularly the case for major projects where the supply base is often global and is able to pick and choose where it wants to deploy its resources.  In simple terms, it is increasingly as case of a “sellers’ market”, so how do project clients secure the resources they require within financial and regulatory limits.

This full-day seminar will explore at trends in the procurement of goods and services for major projects both within the UK and globally.  It will address:

  • Global Perspective – what trends in procurement can we see in other markets that may have relevance here in terms of adoption and/or impact in securing appropriate suppliers for UK projects?
  • How a major project client is securing innovation, productivity gains and greater certainty in delivery through procurement.
  • Legislative changes within the UK and how this could impact supplier landscape from a supplier perspective.
  • The supplier landscape, including constraints, market shaping, market creation opportunities, change in balance of power (sellers’ market).
  • How clients can address the challenge a changing power-balance and still ensure responsible procurement addressing wider social and environmental considerations.
  • Implications of the increasing use of AI in procurement for example:
    o If all bidders use similar AI how do we know what they can do rather than the AI says they can do?
    o AI tools reviewing bids generated by AI.
    o Could choice decline as bidders just focus on those bids where they’ve a higher probability according to the AI?

The exploration of these topics will also provide a foundation for another full day seminar in November on the ‘Rise of the Delivery Partner’ as a particular global trend that is being increasingly adopted within the UK.

By Myrna Rickards
March 19th 2025

Trends in major project procurement Highlight Report

 

It is not only the UK government that is linking increased spending on infrastructure to growth and addressing key economic, environmental and social challenges.  Across the globe there is ever growing demand for new energy sources for use in new locations, achieving climate resilience, addressing social mobility and urban renewal and all within a context of digital transformation.

As noted in other recent MPA events, funding is a key enabler for this increased spending (Developing new funding models for major infrastructure, 16 January 2025).  But, there is little value in having funding if those who will design, develop and deliver the required infrastructure cannot be sourced and put to work.  This is particularly the case for major projects where the supply base is often global and is able to pick and choose where it wants to deploy its resources.  In simple terms, it is increasingly as case of a “sellers’ market”, so how do project clients secure the resources they require within financial and regulatory limits.

This full-day seminar will explore at trends in the procurement of goods and services for major projects both within the UK and globally.  It will address:

  • Global Perspective – what trends in procurement can we see in other markets that may have relevance here in terms of adoption and/or impact in securing appropriate suppliers for UK projects?
  • How a major project client is securing innovation, productivity gains and greater certainty in delivery through procurement.
  • Legislative changes within the UK and how this could impact supplier landscape from a supplier perspective.
  • The supplier landscape, including constraints, market shaping, market creation opportunities, change in balance of power (sellers’ market).
  • How clients can address the challenge a changing power-balance and still ensure responsible procurement addressing wider social and environmental considerations.
  • Implications of the increasing use of AI in procurement for example:
    o If all bidders use similar AI how do we know what they can do rather than the AI says they can do?
    o AI tools reviewing bids generated by AI.
    o Could choice decline as bidders just focus on those bids where they’ve a higher probability according to the AI?

The exploration of these topics will also provide a foundation for another full day seminar in November on the ‘Rise of the Delivery Partner’ as a particular global trend that is being increasingly adopted within the UK.

Mind the Mobilisation Gap
By Myrna Rickards
March 5th 2025

Mind the Mobilisation Gap

This Perspectives Paper explores why we’re still getting mobilisation wrong on major projects, and how we can do better.