Driving devolution: three steps to procuring and delivering local transport infrastructure collaboratively

United Kingdom | 17 November 2025
Reading Time : 3 minutes

How can combined authorities and their constituent local authorities combine to deliver transformational transport infrastructure programmes?

Rising to this challenge is vital. Establishing metro transit systems that stretch across local authority boundaries, creating city-wide cycle networks or implementing other regional interventions requires close cooperation. Collaboration underpins the ability of schemes to create more sustainable transport, decarbonise the network, generate social value and boost the local economy.

Based on our experience of working with existing combined authorities and local authorities, we’ve identified three key steps to delivering collaboratively. While decisions are context-driven and need to be carefully considered as each programme is developed, these steps will be common to many authorities.

1. Understand delivery capability and capacity

Mayoral combined authorities in city regions across England are set to receive a total of £13.85bn through the second round of the government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS2). They must work with their constituent local authorities to turn this funding into successful programmes. For their part, local authorities must understand their existing capability and capacity, using this as a baseline to design their delivery model. Without this understanding, they could overcommit and put themselves at risk from running over cost or schedule, failing to realise the potential benefits of the programme, or harming their reputation.

Author

Conor McCarthy

Technical Director

United Kingdom

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New combined authorities face the challenge of building organisations from scratch that are capable of delivering sustainable transport infrastructure and services programmes. Meanwhile, existing combined authorities will need to reorganise and restructure themselves to successfully handle increased levels of investment under CRSTS2. At the same time, constituent local authorities will need to ensure that their capacity complements, rather than duplicates, that of the combined authorities. The split of roles and responsibilities should ensure that different entities’ capabilities and capacities are clear before the delivery model is developed.

When advising new combined authorities or any other transport authorities, we start by helping our clients assess their capability and capacity for delivery. Then we work with them to understand the complexity and strategic risks of what they’re undertaking and build a suitable delivery, governance and commercial structure. Next, we help them design the optimum delivery model to realise their ambitions. This process is vital: it ensures delivery is efficient, potential benefits are realised and reputations are maintained or enhanced.

2. Design the delivery model around outcomes

There’s more than one way to deliver major transport infrastructure. But outcomes should be at the heart of any delivery model. This is what government best practice – in the form of PPN 06/23 and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority’s Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030 – recommends. It’s also what the Construction Innovation Hub’s Value Toolkit – which WSP helped to develop – recommends. And it’s what will generate the best outcomes for communities.

For example, imagine a combined authority were seeking to design and deliver a new mass rapid transit system that promotes sustainable journeys within a city, reduces carbon emissions from transport and provides local employment. They could use the Value Toolkit to prioritise these outcomes and select and develop an optimal delivery model that will protect them and ensure they are delivered.

This model can also consider the need for a combined authority to maintain oversight and meet deadlines while supporting constituent authorities to deliver locally. Having reviewed and long-listed delivery models for combined authorities, we’ve found a federated approach such as this can work well. It maintains centralised control, but with a local focus that enables local prioritisation.

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3. Consider a programmatic approach to delivery

With CRSTS2 awarded in five-year settlements, there is also a need to move at pace. Taking a programmatic approach to delivery – around which the delivery model is designed – makes this possible. One example is using a management contracting model to appoint a construction delivery partner to organise the programme and ensure delivery.

Under this model, construction delivery partners can resource different work packages from local supply chains, procuring based on value measured against the desired outcomes. Where local supply chains lack capacity, the delivery partner can backfill capacity constraints by procuring regionally and nationally. This approach strikes a balance between generating social value through local spend and keeping CRSTS programmes on track.

By following these three steps and taking a collaborative approach, combined authorities and local authorities can make the most of devolution and transform transport infrastructure for their communities.

Conor McCarthy is a Technical Director at WSP and specialist in infrastructure and transport delivery models. He advises infrastructure promoters on achieving an outcome-based approach to procurement, contract and programme management, and has a keen interest in helping to change how the construction industry measures value. He is Vice-Chair of the Association of Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) Pipeline and Procurement Advocacy Group, and was a contributor to the development of the Construction Innovation Hub’s Value Toolkit and the development of the Construction Playbook.

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