The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) welcomes the publication of PAS 4010:2026, Infrastructure - Improving productivity in infrastructure development and delivery - Specification.

Published by BSI and sponsored by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the Department for Transport (DfT), PAS 4010 provides a common framework for managing and improving productivity across infrastructure programmes, projects and assets.

The standard considers productivity across the whole infrastructure lifecycle, from early planning and procurement through design and construction to operation, maintenance and retrofit. It is intended for use across the value chain, including clients and asset owners, designers, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers.

CIHT welcomes the focus on taking a consistent, whole-life approach to productivity. Improving productivity should not simply mean delivering projects faster or at lower initial cost. It should support better outcomes including safety, reliability, resilience, asset performance and value for money.

CIHT’s own work has highlighted the importance of long-term investment certainty in enabling organisations to plan effectively, innovate and make better use of resources. CIHT research on local roads found that a five-year funding settlement could enable efficiencies of 5-10%, potentially releasing up to £2.2 billion for reinvestment.

The successful implementation of PAS 4010 will also depend on organisations having the skills and capability to put its principles into practice. Clients need appropriate data, governance, procurement capability and resources, while practitioners will increasingly require skills spanning asset management, digital technology, systems thinking, resilience and collaborative delivery.

Sue Percy, Chief Executive of CIHT, said:

“Improving the productivity of our infrastructure sector is important, but productivity must be considered in the round. It should mean making better use of our investment and resources to achieve safer, more resilient infrastructure and better whole-life outcomes.

“PAS 4010 provides an important common framework for the sector. The next challenge will be turning those principles into practice, particularly ensuring that clients and practitioners have the skills, data and organisational capability needed to apply the standard effectively.”

The standard is accompanied by implementation guidance from ICE, supported by DfT and the Infrastructure Client Group, including practical tools, worked examples and case studies intended to help organisations apply PAS 4010.

Find out more: PAS 4010 is available from BSI alongside the implementation guidance produced by ICE.