News & Insights
Enhancing Client-Side Procurement Capability
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Infrastructure Ontario has evolved from a major projects shop into a multifaceted agency that acts as a bank for municipalities, manages property, and operates a development arm. As an agency of the province and the Ministry of Infrastructure, it plays a crucial role in strengthening client-side procurement capability.
One defining aspect of Infrastructure Ontario’s approach is its clear delineation of roles — they are never the funder, owner, operator, or maintainer. This allows the agency to focus on core competencies and provide targeted, expert support to a wide range of public asset owners.
From a New Zealand perspective, the model offers valuable insights. Our asset-agency led ecosystem often results in duplication, prolonged analysis and inconsistent approaches. Infrastructure Ontario’s clarity of role, structured market engagement, and evolving delivery models provide potential lessons on how to streamline processes and enhance efficiency.
During discussions, contrasting views emerged from the client (asset-owner) and development partners regarding the exact value of the agency. However, there was common ground on the benefits of consistent processes, broad market awareness, and the advantages of drawing on private sector experience when embedded within the agency team.
Infrastructure Ontario emphasised the importance of selecting the right model based on who is best placed to manage the associated risks. This understanding has led to the evolution of delivery models over the years. It is critical to review the full project lifecycle, assess the associated risks, understand how those risks should be managed, and identify who is best placed to take responsibility.
Engaging the market to help select the right delivery model is another key aspect of Infrastructure Ontario’s approach. They advocate for requesting white papers and conducting comprehensive market sounding processes. Listening to market feedback and being willing to adapt the model in response is seen as essential to achieving the right outcomes.
As New Zealand progresses toward its 30-year National Infrastructure Plan, Infrastructure Ontario’s experience prompts important questions. How can we better align delivery models to risk? What does strong client capability look like? And how might clearer roles and stronger market dialogue lead to more effective outcomes?
Whether this exact model, or a variation of it, is right for New Zealand remains to be seen. But based on what we heard today, today I suggest it warrants consideration and debate.
