Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030

Transforming Infrastructure Performing (TIP) is a flagship programme of the IPA (Infrastructure and Projects Authority), which is at the heart of government, providing them with great expertise on major projects and infrastructure.

The Beginnings of TIP

Although TIP launched officially five years ago, the Roadmap still builds on the progress made back in 2017. The main goals included substantial increases in infrastructure investment, with 50% in transport investment between 2015 and 2020, as well as tackling low profit margins and lagging productivity in the construction sector in order to deliver this investment as efficiently as possible.

The plans also included modernising the way of managing and delivering major projects. Overall, TIP was considered to be the government’s long-term plan to change the way infrastructure was planned, procured, operated and delivered.

The government predicted that in the following years, the changes in technology, the impact of digitalisation and development of city regions were going to significantly transform the way infrastructure is planned and delivered. And today, we can say that they were right about this.

Purpose and Vision

The primary purpose of TIP is the transformation of the way in which both government and industry intervene in the built environment. This roadmap builds on the success of its previous edition and goes beyond it with a view to include the challenges stemming from delivering infrastructure in the context of net zero and other requirements to find the balance between the natural environment and building.

According to the roadmap’s vision, societal outcomes, improved delivery models and the use of data and technology constitute a priority, and their achievement through interventions in the built environment is of utmost importance.

Translating The Vision into Practice: 5 Focus Areas

To bring the vision to life, the founders of the TIP programme decided to focus on 5 specific areas that illustrate the most crucial transformations required in the built environment. They are all interconnected and co-dependant.

Here are 5 focus areas outlined in the TIP Roadmap to 2030 official brochure:

• I

  Delivering new economic infrastructure to drive improved outcomes for people and nature

  The problem here is the fact that construction projects are not being delivered with a purpose to improve the lives of people and the natural environment that surrounds us. Defining and implementing strategic outcomes, such as the need for adaptation in the context of climate change, into longer term collaborative delivery models should be the starting point for interventions in the built environment.

• II

  Place-based regeneration and delivery

  Strategic outcomes should be rooted in a deep understanding of local context and made possible by data and decision making structures that support interventions across departmental, national, regional and local silos. The key concepts of this area include: place-based delivery, regeneration, local priorities and outcomes, integrated funding and financing, placemaking and design quality.

• III

  Addressing the need for social infrastructure using a platform approach

  Thanks to platform approaches to construction, the government is going to generate greater societal results from its pipeline, by enabling the manufacturing industry to create stable and inclusive employment. The predicted transformation will include cultural, process and skills challenges, and, on top of that, the development and management of the crucial elements of the technical solutions.

• IV

  Retrofitting existing buildings to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050

  The government has plans to support the creation of a self-sustaining retrofit market with funds to adapt existing buildings in order to address sustainability and climate change demands, create green jobs and respond to regional needs. Realising this vision will require collaboration between both private and public sectors to provide long term certainty on energy performance requirements, finance options needed to support demand and lead the industry on the scalable delivery models.

• V

  Optimising the performance of our existing built environment

  The effectiveness of the interventions in achieving previously stated strategic outcomes should be monitored and the stakeholders should be motivated to adapt the approach to achieve these objectives. Shifting the emphasis from adding new infrastructure to optimising the existing one can positively impact the natural environment and greenhouse gas emissions from construction. The key concepts include: optimisation, UK BIM framework, information management mandate, government soft landings, interoperability, information management framework and digital twins.

Every single one of these focus areas is going to be very impactful on the way construction functions and grows within the natural environment without destroying it. On top of that, a special Action Plan will be set out to enable the 5 focus areas to collectively address the common themes. This plan will include the full description of who will be responsible for what and at which point.

At Archdesk, we believe in the power of transforming the industry and so, we couldn’t agree more with the vision presented in the TIP Roadmap to 2030. Trust your guts and invest in a digital platform, like Archdesk, which will help your business change for the better.