How to keep your stakeholders engaged in infrastructure projects

Stakeholders: they can make or break your project. If you're leading an infrastructure programme, failure to get stakeholders on side can spell expensive delays.

PAS 11007:2019, Stakeholder engagement for infrastructure projects – Specification, was sponsored by Kier Highways to help fill a gap in the market. 

Ant Burd, Head of Built Environment at BSI, said: 'Often on infrastructure projects the stakeholders can feel they are being inconvenienced due to a lack of understanding of the requirements and timing of their involvement.

'This document provides a framework to ensure communication with stakeholders is accurate and honest and that their concerns are understood, addressed and mitigated if necessary. It opens a way forward for much better engagement with all those involved.

'It is expected that the application of this PAS will enable a more efficient delivery of infrastructure projects through greater inclusion and satisfaction of all users and stakeholders affected by the project.'

Infrastructure investment: an overview

UK Government figures show that over the next decade more than £600bn of public and private sector finance is expected to be invested in infrastructure, not including that proposed by the devolved powers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.[1]

Over £400bn is already in the pipeline for more than 700 projects, with major programmes planned in transport, energy, utilities, digital infrastructure, floods and coastal erosion, science and research, and social infrastructure such as housing and schools.

Northern Powerhouse Rail, the Thames Tideway Tunnel and Hinkley Point C nuclear power station are just a few of the priorities in development.

Each project involves myriad stakeholders, with vastly differing – and sometimes competing – interests.

The stakeholder engagement lifecycle

By establishing processes at organizational and project levels and communicating effectively, you can engage stakeholders throughout the lifecycle of your infrastructure project.

This six-stage iterative process guides you through the project. Full details are available in the PAS.

1. Understand context and benefits

At this stage the objective is to determine how working with stakeholders will create value and achieve desired outcomes. This includes setting objectives and establishing a policy for an inclusive approach.

2. Ensure capability and capacity

Here, the desired outcome is to ensure that the organization has the skills and knowledge to engage with stakeholders and the resources and tools to support its work.

Key to this stage is establishing leadership, ensuring that systems are in place for effective communications, and considering lessons learnt from earlier stages or projects.

3. Identify and segment stakeholders

Now is the moment to look beyond your internal organization. Who are your stakeholders? What are their needs and expectations? How is it best to communicate with them?

Stakeholders must be segmented and prioritized according to how affected they are by the project and to what extent they could influence its progress. Your organization needs to ensure that it devotes its efforts to creating the greatest value for the greatest number of people involved.

4. Engage with stakeholders

Now you are ready to engage!

You will need to develop an organizational stakeholder engagement plan (SEP) and SEPs for each segment to deliver the value and benefits required. Each SEP must include an action plan that can be updated or amended as required, particularly following feedback from stakeholders.

5. Evaluate performance

Organizations must adopt performance metrics based on the value they hope to gain from their engagement, and they must carry out evaluations at defined intervals. If these evaluations reveal performance gaps, your organization should develop intervention plans.

6. Improve performance

Your objective here is to understand your performance level and ensure that your organization's processes are designed and implemented effectively. Benchmarking against other organizations, modifying processes and responding to feedback all come under this category. You should be looking for continual but sustainable improvement incorporating lessons learnt.

About the PAS

This Publicly Available Specification has been developed by a steering group of experts from organizations such as Aggregate Industries UK Ltd, the Association of British Certification Bodies (ABCB), Gattaca Plc, Highways England, Measure to Improve, National Air Traffic Control, Network Rail, Scottish Water, Suffolk County Council and Warwick Business School.

The sponsor, Kier Highways, has developed a highly effective business model based on collaborative working with suppliers, resulting in rapid improvements in performance and client satisfaction.

Buy the PAS here: https://shop.bsigroup.com/ProductDetail?pid=000000000030364760