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Infrastructure and Projects Authority

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Not to be confused with National Infrastructure Commission.
Infrastructure and Projects Authority
Agency overview
Formed1 January 2016
Preceding agencies
  • Infrastructure UK
  • Major Projects Authority
Dissolved1 April 2025
JurisdictionUnited Kingdom
Headquarters1 Horse Guards Road, London, United Kingdom
Employees180 (2024)[1]
Agency executive
  • Nick Smallwood, Chief Executive
Parent agencyCabinet Office and HM Treasury
WebsiteIPA

The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) was, between 2016 and April 2025, the United Kingdom government's centre of expertise for infrastructure and major projects. The IPA reported to the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. The core teams included experts in infrastructure, project delivery and project finance who worked with government departments and industry.

The IPA supported delivery of all types of infrastructure and major projects; ranging from railways, schools, hospitals and housing, to defence, IT and major transformation programmes. The IPA led the project delivery and project finance professions across government through the Government Major Projects Portfolio.[2] It was superseded by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), established in April 2025.

History

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The Major Project Authority was established in 2011 after the 2010 United Kingdom general election with a mandate to oversee and assure the largest government projects.[3] The MPA´s second annual report from 2014 stated that "successive governments failed to deliver major projects effectively" and that there had been "lack of project management skills across the Civil Service; too fast a turnover of project leaders; inadequate assurance processes and institutional knowledge".[4] The MPA did not exist very long as in 2016 it merged with Infrastructure UK (IUK) to form the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.[5] The IPA Chief Executive was Tony Meggs until July 2019, when he was replaced by Nick Smallwood.[6] IUK had been established in 2010 to support major infrastructure projects involving public sector capital.[3]

In December 2017 the IPA issued the Transforming Infrastructure Performance report aimed at achieving annual savings of £15 billion per year in infrastructure procurement by increasing collaboration and innovation. On 13 September 2021, a follow-up report, Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030, was published alongside the National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline forecasting £650bn investment in UK infrastructure over the next decade.[7]

In May 2024, ahead of the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the Labour Party announced plans to merge the IPA with the National Infrastructure Commission in order to speed up the delivery of major infrastructure projects in the UK. The new body would be called the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority.[8][9] NISTA was established in April 2025 as a joint unit of the Treasury and Cabinet Office, with Darren Jones as the responsible minister.[10][11]

Projects delivered

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The MPA and later the IPA supported delivery of all types of major projects; ranging from railways, schools, hospitals and housing, to defence, IT and major transformation programmes for example creating digital public services. Per the 2014 report on 199 projects, most were by the Department of Defense ( 6) followed by the Department of Health (21), Home Office (20) Ministry of Justice (18) before the Department for Transport(17). More than 10 projects cost over £10bn, but most less than £500m.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Working for IPA". Infrastructure and Projects Authority. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  2. ^ "The Government's Management of Major Projects inquiry". UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Major Projects Authority". UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Major Projects Authority Annual Report 2013-2014" (PDF). Cabinet Office. 2014.
  5. ^ "Government creates new body to help manage and deliver major projects for UK economy - Press releases - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  6. ^ "New Government Projects Chief Unveiled". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  7. ^ "Policy paper: Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030 Published 13 September 2021". IPA. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  8. ^ Labour vows to break ‘inertia’ of UK infrastructure delivery, Financial Times. 23 May 2024.
  9. ^ Gayne, Daniel (24 May 2024). "Labour would merge National Infrastructure Commission and Infrastructure and Projects Authority". Building. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  10. ^ Gayne, Daniel (22 January 2025). "Reeves' number two to be lead minister for new infrastructure body". Building. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  11. ^ "Government promises 'new era' for UK infrastructure delivery". www.theconstructionindex.co.uk. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.


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