Recommendation 4

NISTA still has work to do to ensure that it gains assurance about progress with all major projects and that they are governed and assured effectively. The government has been focused on mega- projects and the infrastructure strategy and pipeline but there are over 200 projects on the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) which also need appropriate attention and scrutiny. NISTA currently divides projects on the 4 GMPP into tiers and decides whether to allocate resources to overseeing a project depending on the tier. However, its focus is likely to be on some of the larger projects, including the mega-projects, and overseeing delivery of the infrastructure strategy. Departmental oversight boards also need to have the right skills and capability to properly exercise their oversight role and lead major projects successfully. To address poor governance and decision-making culture, NISTA has been working on improving and growing the project delivery function and ensuring standards and training are consistent. It is not yet clear to us how it will reform governance of all projects on the GMPP, and how it will gain assurance about progress with those projects. recommendation In its Treasury Minute response, the Treasury should set out what it and NISTA will be doing to improve governance and assurance of all major projects in the future—particularly at a Departmental level—to ensure oversight boards have the relevant skills mix, including what system-wide interventions it is planning to make.