When the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority was launched a year ago, we recognised the opportunity for change in bringing together strategy and delivery, but also that there was a great deal of work ahead in bringing that ambition to life.
Infrastructure is at the heart of this government’s plans for national renewal and growth, and a central enabler of the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy.
NISTA’s creation was a bold step towards driving this direction – a more strategic, joined-up, and effective system, bringing together the best of policy, delivery and innovation. We are also strengthening defence, digital and public service transformation programmes.
And while we are still very much at the start of that journey, today marks a key milestone: a more focused and targeted approach to the way in which NISTA supports critical major projects across the United Kingdom as we refocus and refresh our Government Major Projects Portfolio.
We are putting in place a new approach to prioritise projects where we can deliver the greatest impact, at the moments that matter, so government can deliver with greater pace, discipline and resilience in a rapidly changing world.
At the same time, the changes we are making today better reflect the accountability for delivery at departmental and delivery body level, and the associated freedoms those accountable need to have to maintain and increase momentum.
Why delivery matters
Purposeful, well-crafted and innovative infrastructure, alongside modern public services, underpin this government’s growth agenda and support our national security. Major projects are a catalyst for that growth – not as an end in themselves, but because they turn policy into transformative outcomes across nations and regions.
And it is not simply the scale of what we build that matters. It is the purpose behind it. Every project is part of a wider mission to modernise the nation’s infrastructure, strengthen resilience, unlock economic growth, and create systems that are simpler, faster and more reliable for the public to use.
But anyone who has worked on major projects knows this: for too long, systemic weaknesses have made it harder than it should be to deliver.
"It is not simply the scale of what we build that matters. It is the purpose behind it"
A more streamlined and targeted Government Major Projects Portfolio
As part of NISTA’s role in re-setting the system, HM Treasury and NISTA have prioritised strengthening one of the most fundamental levers in government delivery: the GMPP. From 1 April 2026, the refreshed GMPP will reduce from over 200 projects to around 80.
This is not about stepping back from major projects. It’s being more disciplined about where central oversight and support adds real value – and where it doesn’t. Improving outcomes therefore requires reform across the whole government landscape.
The GMPP has expanded significantly in recent years, reflecting the growing number of large and complex programmes across government. That growth is a sign of ambition, but it brings a practical problem. If the portfolio becomes too broad, we risk spreading expertise too thinly and turning oversight into something that feels generic, compliance-led, and slow.
A smaller, more focused GMPP lets us do what the portfolio is supposed to do: target support and scrutiny at the projects that are most nationally significant, highest impact, and hardest to deliver.
Better collaboration
The broader changes we are continuing to make will require stronger collaboration across government and with industry, create clearer lines of accountability and build an environment that empowers teams to deliver.
They will also strengthen confidence for the public and for business that our biggest commitments are being gripped properly and are recognised as needing close working across the system. We reinforced that this month by publishing the Infrastructure Pipeline, giving the market the long-term visibility it needs to plan and invest. And it underlines a simple truth that government and industry must work in partnership to deliver – they go hand in hand and cannot operate in isolation.
Departmental accountability and capability
Delivery works best when accountability is clear and decisions are taken close to operational reality. Departments understand their policy intent, delivery systems and constraints better than anyone. They should have clear ownership of outcomes and the authority to act.
So, while NISTA will focus the GMPP on the projects where central support and scrutiny add most value, strong departmental leadership remains essential. Effective delivery depends on empowered leaders and strong capability.
NISTA remains committed to strengthening the government project delivery function across the whole system by deepening capability – providing expert advice, targeted training for senior responsible owners, and practical tools and guidance for wider professionals.
We will also work closely with departments to better understand how non‑executive roles and the boards of the arm’s‑length bodies that are essential partners in delivering the nation’s infrastructure – particularly across the regulated sectors of energy, water, transport, and housing – can support accountable officers and the overall assurance approach to delivery.
At portfolio level, NISTA is also deepening its own capability and what we can offer to projects across the GMPP and beyond, ensuring we harness the data we gather to share insights, better predict challenges in advance, and share lessons in real time through improvements in data, analysis and insights.
The GMPP from 1 April
From 1 April, in order to qualify for the GMPP, projects will need to meet the criteria set out in the Treasury Approval Process guidance, and also meet all of the following requirements:
- support a top government priority
- have whole-life costs of more than £1bn
- be a project that would benefit most from central support and scrutiny.
In other words, the GMPP becomes a sharper tool. Some projects will leave the GMPP on 31 March as a result of these changes. These projects are still incredibly important, and departments will continue to deliver them.
Where HM Treasury approval is required, expenditure will continue to be scrutinised. Projects outside the GMPP will also be expected to share project data with NISTA because transparency and learning across government are essential to improve delivery performance across the system.
"Change done well takes time"
We’re also keeping flexibility. In exceptional circumstances, government may add projects to the GMPP where they are of strategic importance, for example, where they are very high risk, underpin critical national infrastructure, or where NISTA’s involvement is expected to improve delivery.
Ultimately, the public feels that delivery has been a success when infrastructure turns up on time, budgets are managed well, services improve and investment delivers what was promised.
To get there, we need discipline and persistence. We are acting now to put changes in place and tackle the biggest barriers first. But embedding lasting improvement takes sustained effort across sectors as part of a longer programme of work. In other words, change done well takes time. There are more opportunities, including further development of the role we can and should play much earlier in the project development phase, leading to success from the outset.
NISTA has been created to be an enabling partner at the heart of government as well as providing independent oversight where projects are particularly large and complex. We look forward to continuing to work with the many talented colleagues across the project profession, departments and arm’s length bodies, industry and the wider sector to identify issues early, resolve them quickly, and keep driving progress until better delivery becomes the norm and better outcomes are felt across the country.
Becky Wood is chief executive, National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA)