It is more than a decade since the UK government first published a pipeline of the biggest planned public sector infrastructure and construction projects.

While this was seen primarily as a move designed to give the construction industry the confidence to invest in capacity to meet the projected demand, the infrastructure strategy  released in June said a new infrastructure pipeline  would have an additional role: as a prospectus for investors in future public-private partnerships (PPPs).

By giving “a confident operational view of the opportunities ahead of us”, the pipeline would hand investors “a reason to invest here in the United Kingdom”, the strategy said.

At the pipeline’s launch last month, a statement from NISTA – the Treasury body set up to transform the delivery of major projects and programmes – said its £530bn 10-year  programme of projects would give potential investors “the certainty to plan for the long term”. And certainly, the pipeline, unveiled as an interactive online tool, was initially welcomed as a huge improvement on the previous incarnations under the last government.

Mark Reynolds, executive chair of construction firm Mace and also co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council, said it would play a critical role in enabling the industry to scale up to deliver 1.5 million new homes and a revitalised national infrastructure. “NISTA’s new dynamic approach is a major step forward,” he said.

Likewise, Jon Phillips, chief executive of investor member body the Global Infrastructure Investor Association, said the initiative strengthened the UK’s appeal, with project investors valuing “a clear pipeline of projects that shows the full scope of the UK’s investment potential”.

But not everyone is convinced that it is really up to the job of acting as a helpful prospectus for investors – at least, not yet. Since launch, as industry experts have looked under the bonnet of the tool, big questions have emerged about the level of detail in the pipeline, and whether it really provides the information that either the supply chain or potential backers of private finance and new PPPs need.

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