By: Derek Amidon – CEO, GISI Consulting Group

The UK’s new 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy is the most ambitious infrastructure investment agenda the country has seen in a generation. Backed by £725 billion in public funding (and seeking billions in additional private capital) it promises more than roads, homes, and hospitals, it envisions a fundamental shift in how infrastructure is delivered, maintained, and integrated.

But the real challenge ahead isn’t funding. It’s execution.

We are entering a decade where complexity – not cost – will define success. Delivering hundreds of interdependent projects across sectors, geographies, and levels of government takes more than skilled engineers and good intentions. It requires end-to end orchestration, a capability that has often taken a back seat to project-by-project delivery.

The UK doesn’t have a shovel shortage. It has a systems problem.

Project Leadership is the Missing Link

Whether it’s connecting a hydrogen corridor to a logistics hub, incorporating biodiversity requirements into a road upgrade, or aligning a third runway with housing and transport plans, these projects span sectors, jurisdictions and interests.

This is the moment for firms that bring program leadership, systems integration, and strategic delivery capabilities to step forward. The government’s creation of the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), which merges strategic planning with delivery oversight, is a welcome step. But the public sector cannot do it alone.

The most valuable firms in the next decade will be those that help public institutions structure, phase, and manage entire portfolios – not just individual assets.

The Infrastructure Sector Needs Translators and Bridge-Builders

This era demands a new kind of infrastructure expertise.

We need translators – professionals who can connect the dots between government departments, regulators, communities, and private investors; experts who understand how to sequence projects so housing aligns with roads, and energy aligns with growth corridors; and teams who can design procurement approaches that attract private capital without triggering public backlash.

And perhaps most importantly, we need delivery teams that can proactively manage risk, build consensus around politically sensitive projects, and lay the groundwork for success before projects enter planning.

Private Capital Is Ready but the Market Isn’t

The Infrastructure Strategy rightly emphasizes the need to “crowd in” private investment from pension funds, local government schemes, and new public-private models. But most investors aren’t waiting to be convinced.  They’re waiting for bankable, well-structured, de-risked projects supported by HM Treasury.

Firms that can work with local authorities, utilities, and national agencies to structure investable, coherent infrastructure packages will be the ones that move this strategy from ambition to action.

GISI Consulting Group: A Foot in Both Worlds

This isn’t theoretical. Across GISI Consulting Group, we see this orchestration challenge play out daily.

At Hill International, Inc., our teams are managing some of the world’s most complex infrastructure projects, from transit systems and ports to energy corridors and civic megaprojects. We don’t just keep projects on time and on budget; we help clients navigate political risks, manage stakeholder complexity, and build the conditions for delivery success.

At Palladium, we work at the system level, designing and delivering infrastructure-led development programs for governments worldwide. From climate resilience to health system infrastructure, we help align public institutions, communities, and capital around outcomes that last.

This blend of technical delivery and systems thinking is exactly what the UK’s infrastructure decade will demand.

This Is the Decade for Delivery-First Thinking

With this Strategy, the UK government has shown it’s willing to invest boldly. Now it needs delivery partners who can think big and execute precisely; partners who see the whole system, not just their piece of the puzzle.

If the last decade was about unlocking capital, the next one is about earning trust. And that starts with delivering the infrastructure we’ve already promised – and doing it well.

At GISI Consulting Group, we’re proud to support that transition.  And we’re ready to help deliver on the promise.

Contact info@gisiconsulting.com to learn more.