Recommendations: Edinburgh Tram Inquiry

Where Business Cases assume pre-contract completion of design, approvals, or utility diversions, contract negotiations should await completion; otherwise, a revised Business Case …

All Business Case versions must include risk assessments accounting for optimism bias per published government guidance.

Each Business Case risk assessment should undergo peer review by external consultants experienced in large-scale transportation infrastructure, submitting reports sufficiently before contract …

Risk identification and management should be integral to major public-sector contracts, employing probabilistic forecasts, critical review of mitigation claims, constant governance challenge, …

For transparency, Scottish Ministers should maintain minutes documenting: discussions and decisions between Ministers and civil servants regarding publicly-funded project involvement; discussions with …

Light rail procurement strategies must adequately address utility location uncertainties, requiring route exposure and clearance well before construction, specifying elapsed time between …

While acknowledging utility diversion approaches, promoters should demonstrate adequate risk management proposals without prescriptive requirements regarding MUDFA versus bow wave methods.

Project promoters should appoint procurement and project managers with qualified, experienced permanent employees who have successfully delivered similar projects on time and …

Following designer appointment, continuous engagement with promoters, owners, project managers, planning authorities, utility companies, and affected landowners should clarify design criteria, with …

The governance structure for the delivery of a major project such as a light rail scheme should follow published guidance and ensure …

There should be effective communication and reporting at all stages of the project, including accurate progress reports to councillors and stakeholders, with …

At all stages of the project there should be a collaborative approach to delivering it, including co-location of representatives from each organisation …

The directors, employees and consultants of the company responsible for the procurement and delivery of the project as project managers, including an …

Local authority officials should be mindful at all times of the distinction in roles between them and councillors, who are solely responsible …