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Published: 19/05/2025
BCIS has cautiously welcomed a commitment from England’s newly active infrastructure body to prioritise attracting investment to the sector.
Government aims to increase private sector investment in construction have seemingly started to take shape after an ‘investor-focused’ infrastructure pipeline was promised by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA).
Jean-Christophe Gray, the Interim Chief Executive of NISTA, confirmed the new approach before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on 12 May(1). Launched in April 2025, NISTA is a combination of the National Infrastructure Commission and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, created to centralise infrastructure expertise within government.
Gray said reforms to the National Construction and Infrastructure Pipeline (NCIP) will shift focus away from cost and schedule information and provide more detail on the different types of financing models available to investors.
He added that prioritisation of pipeline projects will flow from the 10-year infrastructure strategy with a focus on economic and social infrastructure.
Dr David Crosthwaite, chief economist at BCIS, said: ‘Prioritising investors in the pipeline is a promising step forward for construction. Private sector interest is there, but to date there has been little action to mobilise it and little detail of upcoming investment opportunities. The shift in focus and expectation to update the pipeline every six months is a start.
‘However, the government must continue this momentum by outlining the infrastructure pipeline itself. Until this happens, NISTA’s commitments remain wishful thinking.’
Following several delays to the NCIP that caused gaps in 2019, 2020 and 2022, Gray said the new expectation will be to update the pipeline every six months.
BCIS has repeatedly called for pipeline updates to be prioritised so construction businesses can plan around demand and invest in necessary resources, such as upskilling workers.
NISTA’s move to an investor-focused pipeline follows government efforts to attract private sector investment in key sectors via the National Wealth Fund on a 3:1 investment ratio.
The announcement arrives as activity in construction continues to stagnate with ONS data showing output flatlined in the first quarter of 2025.
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(1) Parliamentlive.tv – Public Accounts Committee – Monday 12 May 2025 - here
