Norway follows a two-stage approach to check the quality of infrastructure projects.
To implement a project, you need to consider all options.
A cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is the usual way of ranking alternative projects and approaches.
Norway’s unique approach to CBA also includes a two-stage quality assurance process. This assesses the positive and negative impacts on users, the economy, and society, especially in the early stages of planning.
This approach applies to all public spending proposals – not just infrastructure.
This case study will discuss how Norway’s approach to CBA invites input from a wide range of stakeholders and ensures proper scrutiny of projects.
This embodies principle 7 of the Enabling Better Infrastructure (EBI) guidance, which demonstrates how strong partnerships ensure plans and projects progress smoothly and have staying power.
Including stakeholders in planning will help streamline how an infrastructure strategy will be implemented.
What is Norway’s two-stage quality assurance approach?
Norway’s two-stage approach checks the quality of an infrastructure project.
- Part one searches for alternative solutions and how they may affect people and the economy, the land and the region’s development.
- Part two checks the quality of feedback provided by stakeholders to form decisions and also revisits and updates the CBA performed in part one.
The process invites a wide range of external views on government-led projects and helps to ensure the right project goes forward.
Encouraging scrutiny by setting up consultations
Determining the social and environmental impacts of a project is very important, especially in the early stages of infrastructure planning.
To consider these impacts, a project must identify and encourage analysis from a wide range of stakeholders.
Norway encourages input by setting up public consultations and discussions according to the size of the project.
For instance, when setting up major transport projects, Norway’s relevant agencies address challenges by making sure that their solutions are subject to several public hearings (including professionals and non-professionals).
This not only inspires dialogue but makes information more accessible to the public. .
This leads to project proposals that consider the views of relevant stakeholders, including the general public.
Stakeholder scrutiny has helped Norway develop long-term infrastructure plans that consider everyone’s needs.
Considering stakeholder input in the National Transport Strategy
This approach has contributed to Norway’s National Transport Plan (2022-2033), whose main goals is to cover a wide range of people’s needs.
The plan not only looks at public transport users, but pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists in the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of roads.
Consultations for the plan included road users, operators, the public sector, and wider society (such as individuals affected by accidents, noise, and air pollution).
Norway has since introduced a new Transport Plan (2025-2036) to focus more on climate change and the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The new goals respond to key insight from stakeholders, who raised the importance of addressing climate change and the need to focus on environmentally friendly modes of transport.
Improving Norway’s infrastructure strategy by prioritising projects
Rigorous quality assurance and different stakeholder inputs don’t guarantee the that a project will go ahead.
Other important factors include the economic efficiency of a project and different interests within the government.
To align all its infrastructure goals and help government officials prioritise projects, Norway could look towards an approach that considers costs upfront .
This is outlined in principle 6 of the Enabling Better Infrastructure guidance.
This would also contribute towards Norway’s long-term goals, particularly its overall transport plan, which looks towards the country’s 2050 goals.
Find out more about the EBI programme and its eight guiding principles.
