Assurance for Major Projects

Book excerpt: The Major Projects Authority was set up in 2011 to address weaknesses in the central system for assuring major projects across Government. The Authority, a partnership between HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office, is responsible for examining and reporting on projects, and intervening where they are going off track. The Committee states that the Authority has made good progress in its first year, but, with only one third of major projects being delivered to time and budget, believes much more needs to be done. The Authority spends £6 million to monitor over 200 projects worth £376 billion. It has much stronger powers but much less money than its predecessors. Clearly, the resources it has will affect its impact. It focuses its resources on the projects of highest cost and risk and it is dependent on engagement from departments to achieve its aims, but this is not always forthcoming. Some 62% of departments have adequate formal plans to provide assurance on projects, although the extent to which these are used to manage projects varies. The Authority has not met its commitment to publish information on project status; on-going discussions within Government are seriously delaying the publication of the Authority's annual report and calling into question the Government's commitment to transparency. For the report by the NAO on this subject, see HCP 1698, session 2010-12 (ISBN 9780102977080).