好色先生TV

Consultants will need to get used to taking a more subordinate role on major government projects, receiving less project management work in the future, the government鈥檚 major projects supremo has said.

David Pitchford, executive director of the Major Projects Authority, who is leading the creation of a 拢408bn portfolio of government projects, including construction, said that consultancy companies have been in 鈥渁 very green paddock for a long while鈥� and this was now set to change, with the government assuming a stronger leadership role.

The comments came as to train senior civil servants to lead major projects effectively earlier this week.

He said this would mean in future Whitehall, rather than consultants, take the lead on major government schemes and this would 鈥渘aturally鈥� mean consultants 鈥渨on鈥檛 get as much project management work鈥� in the future.

He said: 鈥淸Consultants鈥橾 piece will be they鈥檒l be involved in helping the project deliver, but in a less fundamental way than being made leader of the project team.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 happened here over the last 25 years is the leadership of projects, the capability has been outsourced largely. The fundamental problem of outsourcing is that it has led to a spiral where you do not have the leadership within Whitehall to run these projects, so you go out to buy it from a consultancy base.

鈥淎nd then the outcome is the consultant comes in, leads the project largely in the area they want to lead it in, using the products they want to use, and then the problem becomes of what gets delivered by whom and what happens then鈥� and largely what鈥檚 happened is that the consultants walked away with the knowledge of how to do the project, and the money that鈥檚 been paid for it, leaving the government without either.鈥�

Pitchford said he could not give a figure of how much the government would reduce its spend on consultants, but said: 鈥淚 can tell you it鈥檒l be significant鈥�.

However, he said the government would still use consultants in an advisory capacity. 鈥淲e will need still to use consultants for what they should have been used for, which is to give point of time expert advice, but we won鈥檛 be using them to lead or manage the programmes themselves.鈥�

Speaking alongside Pitchford, Sir Bob Kerslake, the new head of the civil service, added: 鈥淚 think the consultancies have recognised that the day is gone when government would simply hand over big projects to them for delivery, so they have to adapt their offer to us鈥�.

Paul Morrell, the government鈥檚 chief construction adviser, told 好色先生TV the move did not mean there was a 鈥渂lanket presumption against the use of consultants鈥�, rather it was about strengthening project leadership within government.

鈥淓very analysis of what makes a successful project also points to the importance of strong client leadership. This calls for strategic oversight, direction, governance and accountability - the very business of being a client, and that cannot be delegated.

鈥淭hat is what this Leadership Academy is about, and I think it is a terrific response to the plea of the industry for Government to build stronger client skills.

鈥淓veryone in the industry should have picked up the message that government, as a major client, is looking for a more integrated proposition focused on customer value.鈥�

John Hicks, Davis Langdon head of government, said he thought the move was a 鈥渧ery good idea鈥�. 鈥淚f government is a better informed client the better it will be for driving true costs from the industry.鈥�

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a longer term project it鈥檚 not going to solve the school building programme for this year, but when you put it against the government infrastructure plan that鈥檚 long term too.鈥�