Enabling Better Infrastructure

Define national goals and priorities

• Define national goals for the long term (e.g. economy, society, infrastructure, other) and decide how infrastructure can help to achieve them.
• Outline infrastructure priorities and constraints (e.g. economic growth, healthcare, education).
• Identify spatial considerations.
• Establish which kinds of future projections will be used to inform planning (e.g. demographic, economic, climate).
• Use sustainability frameworks (e.g. the UN Sustainable Development Goals) as a baseline to drive equitable outcomes.

Examples:

• Finland plans to become a climate-resilient country and outlines which infrastructure sectors it should focus on to achieve this.
• The Netherlands’ spatial plan outlines how it aims to be water-resilient and climate-proof by 2050.
• South Africa developed its National Development Plan (NDP) to define its national needs (infrastructure, social and economic). The NDP formed South Africa’s first step in creating an infrastructure strategy.
• Curaçao used the National Infrastructure Systems Model (NISMOD) to define the country’s national infrastructure needs including key requirements for energy, water and solid waste. NISMOD not only identified what Curaçao’s needs were, but also how they could be delivered on.
• Malaysia’s national development plan outlines its long-term infrastructure needs. Malaysia produces a development plan every four years to ensure it is delivering on its most pressing needs.

Understand the infrastructure systems

• Define what infrastructure is (economic, social) and how it links with the economy.
• Map interdependencies between infrastructure networks at different scales.
• Consider how infrastructure is owned and funded (e.g. public/private, government budgets or user charges).
• Understand how infrastructure is governed (e.g. national, regional and local levels of government).

Examples:

• New Zealand used its National Vulnerability Assessment to map the country’s infrastructure independencies. All critical infrastructure networks and linkages were identified, and clear steps were set out to boost resilience across all infrastructure networks.
• Turkana County, Kenya, mapped interdependencies between infrastructure networks using Capacity Assessment Tool for Infrastructure (CAT-I), creating a starting point for breaking down sectoral silos in the infrastructure planning process.

Build consensus

• Identify stakeholders (e.g. the private sector, academia and the public) via mapping, matrices, or other activities and decide who to include in the development of the strategy.
• Establish opportunities for stakeholders to share their insights and input into the planning process (forums, consultation, reviews).
• Agree on what evidence base will be used to inform planning.
• Establish what infrastructure can and cannot deliver.
• Agree on the criteria for evaluation.

Examples:

• Norway encourages input in infrastructure planning by setting up public consultations.
• Brazil ran public consultations, dialogues and workshops to identify and prioritise infrastructure needs.

Include country-level considerations

• Identify geographical, political and economic considerations.
• Consider the individuals, institutions and incentives for infrastructure and associated changes.
• Identify key concerns with the current project design and delivery system and the skills base (leadership, construction, other).
• Review the relevance of existing objectives and progress to date.

Examples:

• Malaysia recognises its evolving country-specific considerations as part of its national development programme. Regularly reviewing country-specific factors ensures long-term social, economic and environmental needs are met.
• The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission has built an infrastructure pipeline that takes in to account for its economic needs to unlock a virtuous cycle of benefits.

Refine national goals

• Include any spatial variations (geographic, known areas for demand).
• Review expected outcomes and decide what further policy interventions are needed.
• Outline short-term versus long-term drivers and trends.

Examples:

• South Africa acknowledged its country-specific infrastructure considerations in its National Development Plan (NDP). The NDP outlined the country’s infrastructure challenges and the steps needed to address them.
• The Netherlands used a Multi-Year Programme for Infrastructure, Spatial Planning and Transport (MIRT) to set out key recommendations for overcoming its constrained supply of land, which was identified as a key risk to infrastructure planning and implementation.
• The UK’s National Infrastructure Commission (superseded by the National Infrastructure Service Transformation Authority) assessed the needs of the economy, infrastructure and society in the UK’s national infrastructure assessment. The needs outlined in the assessment were reviewed and refined in its second iteration.
• Malaysia assesses the relevance of its national objectives every four years as part of its wider national development programme.

Consider value for money

• Decide what value for money looks like.
• Identify measures of affordability (fiscal and user charges).
• Use affordability measures to consider upfront fiscal and budgetary concerns (early assessment).

Examples:

• Australia showcased the non-monetary values of infrastructure projects.
• Taiwan's National Development Council calculated the affordability of infrastructure to help decide which large infrastructure projects were funded.
• The UK uses a fiscal remit to prioritise major infrastructure projects. Using a fiscal remit ensures infrastructure is funded with financial sustainability in mind.
• Curaçao used the UN SDGs as a framework to develop its national infrastructure strategy. Curaçao set out a package of investments to help address its infrastructure needs.

Identify service needs

• Assess the current and possible future service needs.
• Consider how needs are spread geographically and note any underserved areas or areas of rapid change.

Examples:

• New Zealand assessed its infrastructure needs to boost social outcomes, including understanding what was needed to strengthen its circular economy and disaster risk management.
• The UK’s National Infrastructure Commission (superseded by the National Infrastructure Service Transformation Authority) assessed the needs of the economy, infrastructure and society in the UK’s national infrastructure assessment. The assessment included multi-factor and cross-sectoral review.
• Saint Lucia used its National Infrastructure Assessment to identify pressing social needs, including what is needed to enhance resilience to natural hazards.

Assess the performance of existing infrastructure

• Assess the performance of the current infrastructure stock, considering geographical differences.
• Consider the maintenance requirements of the existing stock.
• Identify gaps and agree on which gaps to address.

Examples:

• Egypt conducted a gap analysis to understand where investment was needed in its transport network.
• The UK assessed the condition of its infrastructure assets. The outcome, which identified key gaps, allowed the country to maximise the social, environmental, and economic value of infrastructure services.
• Australia assessed the performance of its current infrastructure assets by carrying out an Infrastructure Audit. Conducted every 5 years, the audit boosts the effectiveness of infrastructure services provided across its sectors.

Coordinate plans at different levels of government

• Consider strategies across levels of government (e.g. national, regional, local).
• Agree on roles and responsibilities between levels of government (e.g. national, regional, local).
• Coordinate with subnational or sectoral plans (planning, funding).
• Create a framework to streamline planning across levels of government.

Examples:

• The Netherlands used the Multi-Year Programme for Infrastructure, Spatial Planning and Transport (MIRT) to boost coordination between national and regional strategies to meet the needs of all stakeholders.
• Chile uses a combined bottom-up and top-down approach to engage with all levels of government.

Consider infrastructure options

• Develop frameworks and processes for assessing options (e.g. business cases).
• Consider environmental, social and governance benefits and trade-offs and no-build, retrofit and repurposing solutions.
• Identify priority programmes or projects for addressing gaps.

Examples:

• Australia assessed its infrastructure service needs, which unlocked a wide range of options addressing infrastructure gaps. Wherever possible, the country follows a ‘do minimum’ best case.
• France repurposed part of its road network during the Covid-19 pandemic to meet its evolving infrastructure needs allowing the country to make its roads more accessible to cyclists and pedestrians.

Identify implications now and in the future

• Identify financial, technical and delivery requirements.
• Assess impacts: multi-decade and economic.
• Assess risks and uncertainties.

Examples:

• Wales’s national plan encourages stakeholders to plan infrastructure that responds to the needs of future generations.

Finalise the assessment

• Complete a final assessment and set a baseline.

Examples:

• The UK’s second needs assessment, led by its National Infrastructure Commission (superseded by the National Infrastructure Service Transformation Authority), sets a baseline for the country's national infrastructure strategy.

Identify the process to develop the plan

• Agree on steps to develop the plan.
• Identify short-, medium- and long-term outcomes and set out key milestones for monitoring and review.
• Gather inputs from specialists and the public.

Examples:

• New Zealand set up a systematic framework for developing its infrastructure strategy. The framework outlined key responsibilities for the government and New Zealand Infrastructure Commission to boost accountability.

Decide on how to pay for infrastructure

• Consider the wide range of options that can be used to fund and finance infrastructure for both the long and short term:

  Publicly funded projects

  • Set out criteria for developing project options that deliver value.
  • Decide on the approach to prioritise projects (e.g., variables, weights, scores).
  • Select shortlisted project options (e.g., government, industry, other).
  • Identify and apply measures of affordability.

  User pays or privately financed projects

  • Develop the regulatory tools for privately or user-funded infrastructure.

Examples:

• UK developed a green book to assess the costs and benefits of infrastructure projects, providing an objective basis to support decision making. Valuation includes land use, infrastructure assets, natural capital and travel time.
• Norway developed guidelines to assess the costs and benefits of all public measures, including infrastructure.
• Australia’s revised economic appraisal includes non-monetised impacts of infrastructure, including cultural and indigenous values. The appraisal formed a critical baseline for assessing the wide-ranging impacts of infrastructure decisions.

Develop the pipeline of future projects

• Identify how a pipeline will be developed, shared and monitored.
• Assess alignment and sequencing of the projects.
• Identify risks to implementation, including any financing, technical and delivery bottlenecks.

Examples:

• Before the war, the Ukrainian government worked with an external finance organisation to understand its financing options to build and modernise its seaports. The methodology used was earmarked for forty other critical infrastructure projects.
• Guinea-Bissau used its needs assessment to attract external financing for infrastructure.
• Taiwan used its Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Programme to assess the country's funding and financing options for infrastructure. The programme took into account eight key infrastructure sectors.
• Nepal use the Capacity Assessment Tool for Infrastructure (CAT-I) to identify what was needed to boost its human resource capacity to accelerate recovery after its 2015 earthquake.

Connect the strategy to delivery

• Define the conditions for success.
• Consider the effectiveness of processes to design and procure projects.
• Identify market and supply-chain constraints (includes delivery capacity).
• Consider skills and ongoing training needs (leadership, construction, other).

Examples:

• The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) helps governments to develop infrastructure strategies using its Capacity Assessment Tool for Infrastructure (CAT-I). CAT-I helps governments plan, deliver and manage their infrastructure systems.
• South Africa used its National Development Plan (NDP) to develop a long-term infrastructure strategy to deliver on its socio-economic needs.
• New Zealand developed an infrastructure strategy to provide long-term direction on how to overcome periods of infrastructure disinvestment and cost pressures.
• The UK developed a National Infrastructure Strategy (NIS) to provide clarity on the steps required to deliver on its infrastructure needs. The NIS outlined key investment targets to ensure the UK delivers on its infrastructure targets.

Create structures for monitoring and review

• Decide on data needed to evaluate success.
• Define which measures to use to monitor progress.
• Ensure there are clear feedback loops to inform future planning.
• Factor in forward-looking milestones to boost accountability.

Examples:

• Wales used the UN SDG-led wellness goals as a key milestone for measuring progress made on infrastructure objectives. The country has six wellness goals, with a focus on resilience, social wellbeing, inclusion and prosperity.
• Canada’s has robust structures to collect data on needs. This involves collaborating with national agencies, and the provinces, to understand what is needed at the national and regional level.

Finalise the plan

• Outline how changes, updates and improvements will be made at key milestones.
• Engage with the public and other key stakeholders on a draft plan.
• Integrate insights and finalise the plan.

Examples:

• Norway created opportunities for gathering insights from a range of external stakeholders on the selection and appraisal of transport projects.

Engage internal and external stakeholders

• Consult publicly on the plan (government, public, other).
• Embed across departments, agencies and other supporting bodies.

Examples:

• St Lucia set up the National Integrated Planning and Programme Unit (NIPP) to embed the country’s infrastructure strategy across departments, agencies and bodies, where it helped to co-ordinate the delivery of infrastructure.
• Australia used a regional and international Infrastructure Bodies (I-Bodies) forum to embed strategic planning across its various departments and agencies supporting a long-term approach to infrastructure planning.
• Chile has engaged in activities to support buy-in across government departments at the regional and national levels.

Refine complementary policies

• Consider existing policies and regulations and which changes are needed to improve practice and productivity.
• Update the infrastructure decision-making framework (e.g., land use planning).
• Develop guidance for the private sector.

Examples:

• Ireland created a spatial approach to deliver on the needs of its growing population.

Decide how the plan will be delivered

• Consider which contract forms to use.
• Consider existing laws and regulations around implementation and make any necessary modifications.