Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru	National Assembly for Wales
Pwyllgor yr Economi, Seilwaith a Sgiliau	Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee
Blaenoriaethau ar gyfer Pwyllgor yr Economi, Seilwaith a Sgiliau	Priorities for the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee
EIS 19 Cyflwyniad ar y cyd ar ran Cymdeithas Ymgynghorwyr a Pheirianwyr Cymru (ACE Cymru Wales); y Sefydliad Siartredig Priffyrdd a Chludiant; Cymdeithas Contractwyr Peirianneg Sifil Cymru (CECA Wales Cymru); Adeiladu Arbenigrwydd yng Nghymru; Sefydliad y Peirianwyr Sifil: Cymru (ICE Cymru Wales)	EIS 19 Joint submission on behalf of Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE Cymru Wales); Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation; Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA Wales Cymru); Constructing Excellence in Wales; Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE Wales Cymru).

Blaenoriaethau ar gyfer y Pumed Cynulliad / Priorities for the Fifth Assembly

The National Assembly for Wales’ new Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee

We refer to your request for areas of work that The National Assembly for Wales’ new Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee should look at during the Fifth Assembly (2016-2021). 

On Behalf of (in alphabetical order) the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE Cymru Wales); Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation; Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA Wales Cymru); Constructing Excellence in Wales;  Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE Wales Cymru) we believe that because our quality of life depends on infrastructure and as there would be little economic activity without energy generation and distribution, water supply and disposal, transportation by rail, road, sea & air and waste management, then Wales needs a clear ‘Vision for Infrastructure’.

The next steps in the development of the Wales Infrastructure Investment Plan (WIIP) are crucial to the delivery of sustainable and effective infrastructure in Wales. Collectively we represent the key players in infrastructure development in Wales and we collaborate to support Government and public authorities seeking an effective delivery strategy.

Commercial Perspective - Our aim is to promote improvement in Wales’ ageing infrastructure to deliver the essential social and economic benefits that this brings and, at the same time, to secure commercial success of our businesses. This, in turn, will allow us create more skilled jobs and improve the employment security of our current staff.

We jointly pursue improvement in five main areas:

§ The physical infrastructure itself with the benefits as acknowledged by Government

§ Certainty of funding

§ Clarity of investment phasing

§ Procurement practices

§ Availability of skills in Wales

The background to our collaboration is the “roller-coaster” business experience of the construction industry – the peaks and troughs in our workload reflect the general trends in UK economic performance but are almost always exaggerated to a significant extent. Our industry suffers from continual uncertainty of business opportunities that arises from irregular patterns of spending on public projects and lack of accurate information on the forward workload. Whilst we are informed that high levels of investment in infrastructure are planned we do not have reliable information in sufficient detail that allows us to plan  or make commitments for existing resources and training for increased staffing that might be required. We expect skill shortages and opportunities to generate jobs but have no basis for quantifying the scale and timing of the investment we may be able to make.  In addition our experience is of inefficient and costly procurement regimes that hinder progress in this regard. 

Technical Perspective – We believe the focus should be on:

Resilience – our view is that the lack of overview of the vulnerabilities of Wales’ infrastructure networks has created gaps in our approach to defending critical infrastructure. The interdependence of our infrastructure assets must be recognised with increased levels of information sharing and joint forward planning.

Transport - the Committee should consider if Wales has a safe, affordable, integrated and accessible transport network that supports local and regional economic growth, productivity and a vibrant society.

Energy - energy security is one of the key issues facing Wales and the UK today. The Committee should consider if Wales:

§ Has sufficient supply of electricity to avoid interruptions.

§ Is reducing the production of harmful emissions.

§ Is promoting energy efficiency measures.

Water and Waste Water - Wales has great potential to harness and benefit from its invaluable supply of water being not only essential for communities, but for business and industry alike. The Committee should consider:

§ How to produce innovative low carbon ways to transfer water across river catchments.

§ How to Invest in and improve the existing water network – improving efficiency and security of service. Reservoirs must be upgraded to meet future water demand with a long term strategic plan for water resources in Wales.

§ How to promote Wales’ plentiful water supplies linked to inward development – domestic and commercial opportunities. Availability of water can be a business differentiator in some sectors.

§ How to help the public to view water as a valuable resource to improve water

Flood Risk management - effective flood risk management requires collaboration across a range of stakeholders. The Committee should consider:

§ The development of a long term capital and maintenance programme.

§ Strategies to improve property and building resilience and create flood resilient communities

Waste management - there must be a fundamental shift in the way waste is addressed. The Committee should examine how:

§ Waste can be treated as a resource

§ Wales can shift to a circular economy

Skills: - the committee should examine if Wales has the right skills in place to address the current productivity lag, to improve infrastructure delivery and yield economic growth.

Infrastructure Pipeline:

Wales needs a joined up infrastructure vision for Wales, looking forward twenty five years and developed through engagement with governments, clients, investors, operators and delivery teams.

We consider it essential that effective engagement takes place with the construction sector and others involved in the development and delivery of infrastructure in Wales. This would be encouraged by the establishment of an Infrastructure Commission for Wales and its initial focus should be on development of infrastructure vision and pipeline (WIIP) together with a supporting understanding of skills/resources required.  We want to make Wales more self-sufficient, less reliant on short term imported resources and to upskill for our own projects thus creating an industry well-equipped to export those capabilities. It would be useful for the committee to review work to date around the WIIP and engagement with the sector with a view to determining best practice and improvements for the future.

Signed (in reverse alphabetical order)

Keith Jones, Director ICE Wales Cymru

Milica Kitson, Chief Executive, CEW

Ed Evans, Director and Secretary, CECA Wales Cymru

Roddy Beynon, Chairman CIHT Wales

Neil Sadler, ACE Wales Chairman

This statement was prepared by the following organisations (in alphabetical order): Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE Cymru Wales); Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation; Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA Wales Cymru); Constructing Excellence in Wales; Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE Wales Cymru).