All-Party Parliamentary Group for Project Delivery launches in UK Parliament

A new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Project Delivery in the UK has launched. The APPG brings together MPs and Peers, with interested parties, to work to better deliver major projects in government.

Association for Project Management (APM) and its project professional community has been instrumental in taking a lead on the creation of the APPG and on improving delivery of projects that succeed and benefit society.

The inaugural meeting of the APPG saw the election of a Chair, Henry Tufnell MP, and three Vice-Chairs, Llinos Medi MP, The Rt Hon Lord Lilley, and Lord Goddard of Stockport.

The APPG will lead the development of understanding projects within Parliament and brings together expert voices in one place to improve public policy, acting as a conduit for parliamentarians to engage with each other, project professionals, academics, civil servants, Ministers, and others. It will champion project success, extol the value of the project profession, and outline the importance of project skills throughout Westminster and society, with a focus on:

• Bringing together major project stakeholders and Parliamentarians, improving Parliamentary understanding of projects e.g. the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) (the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), National Audit Office (NAO) and APM corporate partners. 

• Building the literature around project delivery 

• Advancing the understanding of projects and project management, and raising the profile of the profession.  

Speaking just after being elected as Chair of the APPG, Henry Tufnell MP said: “I’m delighted to have been elected as Chair of this vitally important APPG. We focus so often on projects, but not on project delivery. We plan to change that. This APPG has an ambitious work plan which will scrutinise project delivery and, through its meetings and reports, will provide valuable insight and advice on better delivery, whatever the type of project.” 

Andrew Baldwin, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at APM, spoke of the need for an APPG for Project Delivery, saying: “For too long there hasn’t been an APPG focused solely on project delivery. This has been a missed opportunity, given the number of announcements successive governments have made on major projects and the sheer scale of the task ahead. 

“The key here is the focus on the actual delivery of major projects including what we need to do to improve skills, bringing more people into the profession, and reducing supply issues. 

“The APPG has a long list of reports and studies to undertake, and we will be looking to our members, our corporate partners and academia to help us deliver them.” 

For more information on the APPG, please contact APM’s policy and public affairs team on external.affairs@apm.org.uk.