Whenever the future of highways and transportation is discussed, there’s always a question mark over funding. Not just attracting it, but how best to use that funding efficiently, ensuring budgets are distributed in a way that creates maximum benefit.

The forthcoming CIHT Masterclass on funding homes in on that topic and adjacent issues, with several expert speakers from across the sector offering their insights at the event on 18 September.

Speakers will bring their own experience of major projects and lessons they have learned from various funding models, with a chance for members attending to ask questions and propose their own ideas for discussion.

One senior industry figure speaking at the event will be Jason Russell, Director of Business Transformation at AtkinsRéalis.

CIHT’s Head of Policy and Technical Practice, Justin Ward, invited Russell to speak at the event, and explains their previous work together.

“We did a report about the trying to identify and quantify the benefits of longer-term funding for local roads, looking into the kind of efficiencies you could generate through a longer-term funding settlement, [such as] better procurement and more certainty for the supply chain, while investing in things that could save money, such as technology.

“And we came up with between five to 10 percent efficiencies for local roads.”

A long-term future

Russell has recently spoken about the encouraging signs from Whitehall, such as the UK government’s recent report ‘UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy’.

“So much of our infrastructure is in a deteriorating condition and what we're finally seeing now is some longer-term plans to invest in renewals,” he states.

“It gives some very welcome and much needed clarity for approaching some of the really big strategic challenges such as net zero targets and ensuring the resilience of our infrastructure in the face of climate change.”

Russell stresses the importance of “a visible pipeline so we can properly plan” and thereby attract investment and collaboration.

“Meaningful engagement with the supply chain is dependent on clients being able to share their multi-year plans with a

reasonable level of certainty and detail. This enables improved planning, productivity, innovation, and management of risk, and can help local authorities achieve their objectives,” he concludes.

A case study in the report features insights and an independent review of work that Russell led on Surrey County Council’s Project Horizon that set a national benchmark for highways efficiency.

A key part was the need to demonstrate and evidence how the five-year funding certainty provided by the Road Investment Strategy has enabled National Highways to deliver efficiency savings, fostered innovation, and provide long-term value to the taxpayer.

Private finance

Meanwhile, Ward is expecting that some coverage of attracting private finance will also feature in the Masterclass: “We’re hoping to get good insights into the benefits of PFI (a private finance initiative) into infrastructure projects, because we’ve already seen major projects such as the Lower Thames Crossing benefit from being partly privately financed.”

Russell also sees its potential in facilitating ambitious projects: “Private finance can really unlock initiatives that could affect a real step change in investment. It needs strong partnerships between the public and the private sector to really be able to respond to our biggest challenges and deliver quickly on those ambitions, so we can start to show the benefits.”

Discover more and sign up to CIHT’s Masterclass on funding.

Download CIHT’s report on unlocking the benefits of long-term funding for local roads.