Good News, Not So Good News, Other Project News,
Proposals, Profession News, Very long projects
and Sea Eagles in the Wrong Place
REPORT
By Dr. Miles Shepherd
Executive Advisor & International Correspondent
Salisbury, England, UK
INTRODUCTION
As we Approach the season to be jolly, there has been a notable air of gloom pervading the UK project world as we anticipate another raid by Central Government on anything to do with money. Yes, it is Budget time once again and the leaks have been coming thick and fast. As with most leaks, they have proved to be less than accurate although the fiscal news is not great but there is some cheer on the horizon.
This month I bring some good news in the form of a successful project, prospects for new programmes in the defence and power fields as well as a round up of other project news. So, let’s start with the Good News
GOOD NEWS
National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC). This is a rare case – not because it is a major infrastructure project that was delivered on time, within budget and fulfills the needs and expectations of its stakeholders – but because it is recognised in national press with full reports on BBC and national press.
The £105m NRC project aims to transform rehabilitation care, research, and training in the UK. This required the construction of a new 70 bed facility designed to integrate with the natural landscape. It is specified to the highest standards of sustainability, aiming to achieve net zero carbon over the entire life of the building.
Lead architect was Paul Treacey, supported by a full design team included Paul Treacy Architects, Ryder Architecture, Fira Landscape, and other partners. Construction was managed by Integrated Health Projects (IHP), an alliance between Sir Robert McAlpine and Vinci Construction UK.
Digital construction played a pivotal role in the project’s success, with the IHP team leveraging advanced technologies to:
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- deliver data driven insights that improved workflow efficiency and risk mitigation
- spot bottlenecks and identify root causes
- enact mitigation plans and measure success
IHP used AI-powered progress tracking system Buildots as part of an integrated tech solution designed to identify and mitigate potential causes of delays, support lookahead meetings with objective data, and boost productivity with smarter planning.
Based at the Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Estate alongside the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC), it will benefit from the specialist knowledge developed at the DMRC, via the sharing of expertise, knowledge and feedback with the defence facility. The specialist healthcare facility combines National Health Service (NHS) care with research and innovation from academic partners the University of Nottingham and Loughborough University.
BAE Systems successes. Defence manufacturer BAE Systems has won a number of contracts that build its 2025 order book to more than £27 Bn…
More…
To read entire report, click here
How to cite this work: Shepherd. M. (2025). UK Project Management Round UP, report, PM World Journal, Vol. XIV, Issue XII, December. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/pmwj159-Dec2025-Shepherd-UK-project-management-round-up-report.pdf
About the Author
Dr. Miles Shepherd
Salisbury, UK
Dr. Miles Shepherd is an executive editorial advisor and international correspondent for PM World Journal in the United Kingdom. He is also managing director for MS Projects Ltd, a consulting company supporting various UK and overseas Government agencies, nuclear industry organisations and other businesses. Miles has over 30 years’ experience on a variety of projects in UK, Eastern Europe and Russia. His PM experience includes defence, major IT projects, decommissioning of nuclear reactors, nuclear security, rail and business projects for the UK Government and EU. His consulting work has taken him to Japan, Taiwan, USA and Russia. Past Chair and Fellow of the Association for Project Management (APM), Miles is also past president and chair and a Fellow of the International Project Management Association (IPMA). He was, for seven years, a Director for PMI’s Global Accreditation Centre and is immediate past Chair of the ISO committee developing new international standards for Project Management and for Program/Portfolio Management. He is currently Chairman of the British Standards Institute project management committee. He was involved in setting up APM’s team developing guidelines for project management oversight and governance. Miles is based in Salisbury, England and can be contacted at miles.shepherd@msp-ltd.co.uk.
To view other works by Miles Shepherd, visit his author showcase in the PM World Library at http://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/miles-shepherd/.
