Major Projects

Major projects in rail are complex and not everything goes to plan, making it more important that ever to foster a culture of continuous development and learning with honest, positive relationships. Partnerships are needed between contractors and clients to reach a common goal, from innovation to delivery. RIA has continuously campaigned for greater long-term planning and visibility for major projects.

Key Asks:

• Create strategic partnerships with the contractors and clients that are based on shared goals. Recruit for and reward positive team behaviours including a continuous learning and development culture and the ability to manage change effectively.
• Once committed do not look back, share pipelines, and plan long-term investment to drive competition, grow supply chain capability and efficiency and give confidence to private sector to invest in skills, assets, and innovation.
• Support innovation at earliest stages of a project, take full advantage of supply chain capability including international, SME and cross sectoral ideas and expertise. Harness supply chain skills on system thinking and whole life value.
• Engage suppliers early by publishing transparent procurement pipelines and targeted outcome-focussed procurement models whilst supporting competition, efficiency, innovation, and delivery. Effective procurement enables the development of intellectual property and unlocks collaborative funding and financing models. 
• Recognise the full economic, environmental, and social value that rail brings to the UK.  
• Celebrate the diversity of the supply chain and its people and promote UK rail expertise and capability internationally.