Accelerated Project Delivery

The global sporting and cultural events market is hungry for accelerated project delivery to drive earlier completion and maximise value for money, whilst still maintaining design excellence and delivering world-class projects.

The overall duration of a project has become a primary cost driver. With compressed timescales constraining each design and construction stage to a precise number of workdays, usually with a very public, immoveable deadline for completion / opening, there is no room for error. A different approach is required.

Accelerated Project Delivery (APD) requires that all involved parties recognise that there are benefits to be exploited by re-evaluating the traditional approach of delivery. Rather than working to sequential stages, for example scheme design followed by detailed, and fully assured design prior to commencing any construction activity, APD offers a more agile and integrated approach.

Accelerated Project Delivery involves mutual decision making and shared responsibility between Project Sponsors, Designers, Consultants, Contractors and third-party Stakeholders.

There are enormous efficiencies to be gained with this approach, though it must be recognised that the realisation of these benefits does give rise to some key assumptions and risks that need to be effectively managed.  For example:

• Key processes and procedures require some level of adjustment, although the output should always be compliant with the relevant process/procedural requirements.
• There is a need to ensure that all risks are correctly identified, captured and managed using the appropriate methodology,
• There is a prerequisite for the early engagement of specialists
• Construction delivery is based on the design information available at the time of a commencement of a particular activity, but processes must allow for refinement as the design progresses and reviewed through clearly defined hold-points / stage gates.
• The Design and Construction packaging are aligned to enable early construction activities to be undertaken earlier to accelerate the project handover date.

Accelerated Project Delivery creates programme efficiencies. It is also fully compliant with the processes and procedures required to generate assured Design and Construction delivery.

Accelerated Project Delivery presents a substantial promise to enhance overall project delivery. With rightly qualified design & construction assurance, and early stakeholder engagement, this delivery method minimises impact to challenging project handover dates and avoids the serious ramifications of a potential deferral.

Clearly this approach requires significant support and leadership to resolve critical issues efficiently and at pace, particularly with external stakeholders and technical authorities.

Provided there is agile and competent management, progressive review and assurance, the overall technical risks of the approach are low. Implemented correctly, our Accelerated Project Delivery approach will lead to earlier completion and drive value for money.