Work in Progress - Major Capital Projects – Follow up Report

Our 2019 Major Capital Projects report presented an overview of the Northern Ireland major capital projects portfolio.  For the purposes of the report we defined major as over £25 million.  The report also covered the roles and responsibilities in relation to capital projects and the project management process.  We examined the progress made on the delivery of 11 major capital projects (including the seven flagship identified in 2015 by the NI Executive as its highest priority projects).  We found that each of the projects examined suffered time delays and/or cost overruns when compared against original timescales and budgets.  The explanations provided by departments included funding constraints, legal challenges, planning issues, limited interest from the construction industry and issues with the quality of construction. 

Public Accounts Committee sessions on the report resulted in 15 recommendations which included improving accountability for delivery of major capital projects; improving commissioning and delivery arrangements; and improved planning arrangements.

Given the importance of major capital projects to the economy of Northern Ireland, the C&AG has decided we will now revisit this area.  The follow-up report will focus on updating the position of the 2019 case studies, the departments capital funding and major capital projects portfolio, along with an overview of the strategic and construction environment in which public sector infrastructure projects are being managed.

The C&AG intends to publish this report towards the end of 2023.