Our Services
Strategic Investment Board Limited (SIB) offers support for infrastructure programmes across Northern Ireland. Stakeholders benefit from the input of a multi-disciplined team of Strategic Advisers, experts in their field, who bring a singular focus to achieve delivery on time and to budget. Working discretely, often across departmental boundaries, the Strategic Advisers provide professional skills on infrastructure procurement and delivery with the objective of getting the best value for the public purse.
SIB also acts as a conduit between public and private sector, encouraging maximum market interest in the Executive’s infrastructure programme. We also provide an interface with broader social groupings including partnering between government departments, local government, the private and third sectors, promoting positive transformation and accelerating the delivery of programmes.
How does SIB support Departments
Support will vary depending on the requirements of individual Departments and projects. Our Team advises on complex projects that require specialised expertise with the aim of speeding delivery, reducing cost and managing risk whilst promoting good practice.
Typical roles include:
- Acting as Programme/Interim Director on behalf of Departments
- Advising on the commercial aspects of contracts
- Advising on procurement strategies and funding
- Assisting in the production of business cases
- Advising on the suitability of programmes for Public-Private Partnerships (PPP)
- Advising on communication strategies
- Developing the market to encourage competition and drive out value for money
- Commercial negotiation
In-house Support
SIB helps Departments develop their in-house capabilities by establishing Programme Delivery Support Units (PDSUs); these are small resource units within Departments that provide common support services to projects. The PDSUs assist with the planning and delivery of Departments’ projects and at the same time aim to transfer private sector knowledge and skills into the public sector. The units are made up of civil servants, SIB Advisers and external consultants. There is also the opportunity for civil servants to work on secondment within SIB.
Funding
SIB has funding available to support projects to progress through the initial stages; typically this includes funding specialist financial, legal or technical advisers. The funding can be deployed quickly in order to overcome problems as they arise and without the need to go through a complex approval process. SIB does not, however, contribute to the capital or running costs of the project. Details of how funds are used are published in SIB’s Annual Report and Accounts.
SIB has a statutory responsibility to advise the NI Executive on infrastructure investment strategy. The Investment Strategy 2050 is currently in draft.
Services SIB Offers
SIB offers advice on; strategy development; procurement law; construction market intelligence; asset management; project finance; commercial deal structuring; community regeneration & planning; social licence and programme management methodologies and delivery.
