What if you could eavesdrop on the juiciest UKREiiF deals in the making? Discover business opportunities before they’re in the public domain? Learn who might be winning work before it’s officially announced? I am The Secret Delegate, the shadow with go anywhere access. And I’ll be bringing you those critical high-level conversations unshackled, so you can stay ahead of the competition.
Becky Wood’s the name, and fixing busted infrastructure’s her game. She’s just been handed the keys to NISTA, the new beast cobbled together from the remains of old agencies. Government says “NISTA will look to fix the foundations of national infrastructure systems by bringing strategy and delivery under one roof, addressing the systemic delivery challenges that have stunted growth for decades.”
That’s big talk and a tough ask for the fresh-minted CEO, but Wood’s no rookie — she’s been around the block, overseeing big-ticket transport projects and handling high-stakes decisions. Now, she’s got the weight of the government’s 10-year infrastructure plan hanging on her shoulders like a ticking time bomb.
June Deadline, Giant Expectations
Her job? Navigate the tangled web of bureaucrats, red tape, and broken promises to get the country’s run-down systems back on track. She starts the gig in June 2025, seems no coincidence it’s the same month the government plans to publish its 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy.
Chief secretary to the treasury Darren Jones, and chair of the NISTA council of expert advisors Sir John Armitt are betting big on her; they think she’s got the grit to survive in the jungle of Whitehall. And make no mistake, grit’s what she’s gonna need to thrive in that swamp. Good luck Woods, I’ll be following NISTA’s progress.
So what’s NISTA?
UK infrastructure’s been a slow-motion train wreck for years — bloated budgets, missed deadlines, and promises that crumbled faster than cheap concrete. The government felt the heat and brought in a new enforcer. They’ve called it the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority — NISTA. Its job? Clean up the mess, or at least keep it from getting worse.
NISTA’s plan is simple: take the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA), mix it with the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), and roll it into one hard-hitting agency. One body to watch the projects, call the shots, and keep the wheels moving.
This time, they swear it’s different. They’re cooking up a Strategy stitched into the government’s long-term budget – capital spending locked in for at least five years, reviewed every two. No more cliff-edges. No more changed-policy whiplash.
So, enter NISTA – part Treasury, part Cabinet Office, all about making sure someone’s actually steering the ship. NISTA’s job? Keep the Strategy from gathering dust and call out any department too slow on the trigger.
A Warning from the Past
But under the streetlights, possible cracks show. The NIC had a kind of independence. People who spoke their minds, not their marching orders. When the government listened, real progress followed. Fold that into a machine too close to the Treasury, and you risk losing the one thing that kept the whole card table honest.
Still, there’s muscle here too. Bringing IPA into NISTA could finally hammer best practices into projects — from the Construction Playbook’s golden rules to toughening up leadership through the Major Projects Academy.
The stakes? Growth. Homes. Clean power. Services that don’t buckle under the weight of poor-planning and over-capacity.
NISTA could be the sheriff the country needs. Or just another badge without the guts to use it. Either way, the clock’s ticking. And the industry’s watching.
Eyes on the Horizon at UKREiiF
Me? I’ll be listening in at UKREiiF at sessions that aim to navigate paths for others to follow, such as ‘The politics of infrastructure projects – Why do they take so long?’
Be sure to follow me on LinkedIn to keep up with the latest news.
