Recommendation 12

The Sponsor Body considers that the current biggest risk to the Programme is uncertainty on the condition of the building, meaning that it is currently unclear as to the scale of the work required.25 The Sponsor Body told us that is undertaking as much survey work as possible, however this has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.26 The Elizabeth Tower project, run by the parliamentary estates team, provides a useful example of the dangers of a lack of understanding of the work required at the outline business case.27 Site surveys, including exploratory works on the roof exterior, the clock faces, and the external masonry had not initially been included in the business case, leading to an overly optimistic view of risk. As a result, although the project objectives did not change significantly between the outline and full business case, the estimated cost of the project increased from £29 million to £61 million; at February 2020 the estimate stood at £80 million.28 The Sponsor Body told us that it was vital that the Programme learns the lessons of the Elizabeth Tower project and the Director General told us that “exhaustive intrusive surveys” were essential before putting together a business case.29 Interdependencies with the Northern Estate Programme and other projects