MPs on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee have opened an inquiry into how effectively the UK state delivers major infrastructure, with a focus on procurement models and governance. The review will examine how current contracting approaches, such as design-and-build and alliancing, affect cost overruns, programme slippage and risk transfer on large schemes like HS2 and major road upgrades. Outcomes could influence future Treasury Green Book guidance, Cabinet Office procurement rules and how client bodies structure frameworks and long-term delivery partnerships.

Development finance for critical minerals mines, processing plants and supporting infrastructure is expanding, while funding for transparency tools, civil society oversight and community participation is being cut, according to a Washington-based donor network. The group warns of a “second funding gap” in governance support as multilateral banks and state-backed lenders prioritise capital-intensive extraction and refining projects. For miners and engineers, this signals rising scrutiny risks around licence-to-operate, community consent processes and ESG reporting, even where project finance appears readily available.

Improved public–private collaboration, “smarter” financial risk sharing and better asset data are being urged by a new Lloyds Banking Group report to upgrade the UK’s ageing, climate-exposed infrastructure. The report calls for clearer allocation of construction, demand and climate risks between government, institutional investors and asset owners, moving beyond traditional PFI-style models. For engineers, this points to stronger requirements for whole-life performance data, climate stress testing of assets and more transparent condition information to unlock private capital for renewals and resilience upgrades.