The Infrastructure Podcast: Episode 185

Guests: David Lunn, Director of Market Engagement, National Infrastructure & Service Transformation Authority

NISTA's progress unpacked

This live episode of the Infrastructure Podcast was recorded at the recent Twin Talks breakfast event hosted in London by the Infrastructure Policy Advancement team at Bentley Systems. 

My guest is David Lunn, NISTA’s new director for market engagement and in the wide-ranging discussion we explore the progress being made by NISTA, the UK National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority, as it works with the supply chain to modernise how major projects are planned designed and executed.

For too long, the UK's infrastructure sector has suffered from chronic inefficiencies, fragmented planning, and lengthening delivery timelines that inflate costs for taxpayers and hinder the service delivered to communities. In response, NISTA is leading a transformation of the way the nation’s infrastructure is designed, delivered and operated, engaging suppliers, investors, and regional leaders in the critical change required.

NISTA is driving a major transformation of the UK's infrastructure sector through its 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy and the dynamic Infrastructure Pipeline. 

Its role and mission is anchored around the UK government’s 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy and the dynamic Infrastructure Pipeline which sets out a £718bn public and private sector investment plan spanning all sectors of the nation’s economic and social infrastructure portfolio.

David joined NISTA this summer and is charged with the challenge of making UK infrastructure more investable. This will see him developing what is billed as an investor-ready pipeline, coordinating engagement across government departments, regulators and investors, and driving reforms that unlock vital private investment.

David came to NISTA from the then-Department for Business and Trade and has had a distinguished career in the UK civil service spanning nearly 30 years. He led the establishment of the UK Infrastructure Bank, serving as a UKIB board member and its first Chief Operating Officer. He began his civil service career at the Department for Transport and led the original funding and governance agreements for Crossrail and the successful conclusion to the CTRL project.

So let’s drill in and find out how NISTA intends to give industry the vital long-term market visibility of workload that will helps suppliers better anticipate future resource needs, invest in necessary skills, prevent regional bottlenecks and accelerate private investment. 

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