NSW Public Servants are not to provide information to the public on scope, funding, costs or timelines of infrastructure projects until they can be accurately and confidently confirmed, according to a new Memorandum from the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
In M2022-06 Information on infrastructure projects, Premier Dominic Perrottet says information must be provided in accordance with the principles and guidance in Infrastructure NSW’s Timely Information on Infrastructure Projects guide.
“Premature determination and disclosure of cost, scope and time parameters can be counterproductive for project teams, design professionals and construction contractors,” Mr Perrottet said.
“That impact needs to be balanced with the requirement to keep the public and Parliament as informed as possible,” he said.
“[The guide] explains the stages of project development and the level of detail that may be confidently provided to the public at each stage.”
Mr Perrottet said a few of the guiding principles for providing reliable project information included confidence that cost, scope and delivery timeframe increases as a project progresses; where specific detail was not yet available there was still useful information that could be provided; and premature provision of detail on solutions, scope, costs and timeframes may lead to disappointment in the community and put counterproductive pressure on project delivery teams.
“Early detail on project scope can undermine project teams’ assessment of alternative investment options which curtails long-term value creation,” the Premier said.
“By contrast, effective communication as stages proceed provides confidence that decision making is sound, that public funds are being well managed and that project benefits will be delivered.”
He said that to support the guiding principles, information on scope, funding, costs and timelines should not be provided until a project was significantly progressed to a point that it could be accurately and confidently confirmed.
“Additionally, costs and timelines should be presented as ranges and be qualified by the level of maturity of scoping and design,” Mr Perrottet said.
He said Infrastructure NSW would hold regular sessions with Ministerial Offices and Agencies to raise awareness of the Guide and explain the guiding principles in more detail.
M2022-06 can be accessed at this PS News link and Infrastructure NSW’s 5-page Guide at this link.
