Round 10 REGional Workshops Wrap Up
Working with the NZ Transport Agency, REG has successfully completed the round 10 (R10) workshops across the country. The key purpose of these workshops was to assist roading and transportation team members to build their investment business case for the next 3 year NLTP period, and support their council’s long term planning processes.
Having a robust investment case is critical for the sector to build confidence with its local and national investment partners. Over the past 18 months REG has provided the tools and training to help ensure that investment bids are robust:
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based on the ‘business case’ principles
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use the ONRC performance measures to analyse network performance gaps and provide robust evidence
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are underpinned by a focus on delivering the right sized programme using the one network road classification to prioritise investment responses.
Feedback from the interactive R10 workshops is suggesting that it will be critical to make the most of the iterative development approach to improve your draft AMPs over the next two months for your final programme submission due 16 December 2017.
Through this iterative process of improvement make sure you are engaging regularly with the Transport Agency team to identify areas of improvement and gaps.
A few key messages
Take the time to prepare a robust business case
Taking time to critically think and engage across your business is the success to developing a robust business case. Time needs to be put aside to work on this key task. Leaving your investment submission to the last minute may mean a poor final bid and therefore ‘conditional funding requirements’ being set with your NLTP investment for the next three years.
Clarity of your investment story based on rock solid evidence
One of the benefits of using the business case principles to assist the development of your next investment case is the ability to demonstrate the strategic issues supported by robust evidence. The expectation has been set that this approach is a key requirement for supporting all 2018/21 investment bids.
From the workshops we have seen a range of draft investment bids; some having been done well, others still being asset centric and therefore unable to tell the compelling story about why investment is required.
Likewise, many of the bids do not tell the compelling story about the benefits from the investment identified.
Demonstrating optimised investment proposals
Whether through the guidance supporting the implementation of ONRC, or following the processes set out in best practice AMP guidance, the expectation is that robust investment proposals will demonstrate how programmes have been optimised using option assessment processes.
It is important that programmes are based on robust testing of options to deliver the best whole of life outcomes.
Programme affordability and delivery
In submitting your firm bid (due 20 October), and final bid due 16 December, it will be important that investment proposals are based on financial prudence and aligned with your respective organisation’s funding forecasts, and that what you are asking for is affordable to your communities.
It is also important that you can demonstrate that your organisation and your suppliers (both professional advisors and the construction sector) have the resources and the capacity to deliver the three year programme being sought. What does history tell you about your ability to deliver the right sized programme?
In a number of the R10 workshops participants agreed that there could be benefit from taking a strategic approach to procuring services and delivering activities, including options of working across organisation boundaries. What are you planning to do, to collaborate to improve delivery and achieve greater value for money?
Key dates and milestones for the iterative improvement of your AMPs
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