Project 13 adopters double in number in 2020

January 8, 2021

Melissa Zanocco, Head of Programmes, Project 13, provides an update on the growing number of Project 13 adopters.

2020 was an important year for Project 13: its partnership with the World Economic Forum, a growing community and, most significantly, the continued increase in Project 13 adopters.

From the initial four early adopters I began working with shortly after the launch of the project in 2018, the adopter group has in 2020 expanded to 13 infrastructure programmes. The group now includes:

Anglian Water Strategic Pipeline Alliance
Environment Agency Next Generation Supplier Arrangements
Heathrow Expansion
National Grid London Power Tunnels
Network Rail Transpennine Route Upgrade
Sellafield Programme and Project Partners
Sydney Water Partnering for Success
Yorkshire Water Capital Programme Delivery
British Antarctic Survey
East West Rail
Openreach Fibre First
Devonport Royal Dockyard
Anglian Water Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant relocation

This is a fantastic cross-section of organisations that are all sharing their experiences and learning across the group as they adopt the Project 13 principles.

A critical component of Project 13’s success is that it is sponsored by the Infrastructure Client Group (ICG), which ensures that we have owner organisations championing and driving the shift to new delivery models. More than half of the ICG’s members are Project 13 adopters.

This significant increase in projects and programmes adopting Project 13 illustrates that the principles clearly resonate across infrastructure.

From adopter group to community
As Project 13 transitions from a UK initiative to a global movement, the early adopter group is on its own transition to becoming the Project 13 adopter community. With its growing number of adopters, the community is looking forward to interacting across a wider group of stakeholders internationally – enriching the learning and sharing.

Project 13 is about highly integrated enterprises working collaboratively across the supplier ecosystem to deliver better outcomes. It is therefore fitting that the community will now be made up of representatives from across the adopter enterprises rather than just the owner organisations. It will also be in regular contact with the Project 13 supplier readiness group and will nominate representatives to sit on it to ensure that suppliers who are not yet operating in an enterprise can benefit from their shared learning.

In addition, the community provides important learning and feedback to the Project 13 development groups to ensure that the initiative is constantly evolving and reflecting best practice across the industry.

Recap: what is Project 13?
Project 13 is an industry-led movement to improve the way in which high-performance infrastructure is delivered. It moves from transactional business models to collaborative operating models. Adopted by some of the UK’s largest infrastructure owners, it brings together skills and technologies in a collaborative environment. As well as creating a more highly skilled workforce and infrastructure that represents better value for all, it contributes to building a sustainable future for the construction industry.

What is a Project 13 adopter?
They are organisations that intend to adopt Project 13 principles on a project or programme as part of a strategy to deliver better customer outcomes. Adopters become an integral part of the overall Project 13 initiative and benefit from being part of a shared best-practice community.

The adopter programme provides Project 13 – and more broadly the ICG – with continued learning, enabling the continued development of Project 13 knowledge and tools. In applying the principles of Project 13, adopters get additional support from the ICG.

What is the Project 13 adopter programme?
The purpose of the adopter community is to create a forum for the direct exchange of learning and best practice across owners or enterprises adopting Project 13 principles and to provide peer-to-peer guidance and support. The programme consists of: