The Scottish Major Projects Office: A New Player In Scotland's Infrastructure Delivery Landscape?

Among the measures recently announced in the Scottish Government’s “Programme for Government 2026 – 2031” (the Programme) (linked here) was the establishment of a new Major Projects Office (the MPO) which will commence operations in 2026 – 2027.

The MPO will accelerate progress on nationally and strategically significant investment and private capital projects by helping to remove barriers to project delivery and private investment across key sectors such as housing and energy. The establishment of the MPO forms part of the Scottish Government’s wider economic strategy to develop and deliver infrastructure projects more effectively via a variety of measures (including consulting on reforms to planning frameworks and strengthening inward investment capability).

The announcement does however raise some key questions. For example, how will the MPO fit within Scotland’s existing infrastructure delivery landscape and interact with other agencies which have the same or similar objectives?

Scotland has a relatively mature framework for the planning, funding and delivery of major projects. Organisations such as the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) have played a crucial role in supporting infrastructure investment, developing delivery models, managing programme delivery and providing the required commercial and project-related expertise. Since SFT’s remit will remain the same notwithstanding the announcement of the MPO, it appears likely that the MPO will undertake a co-ordination role within the Scottish Government to assist with the practical issues affecting project delivery, rather than functioning as an altogether new delivery agency.

This could be important as the delivery of infrastructure projects is often plagued by delays associated with the complex task of navigating multiple consenting, regulatory and stakeholder processes across different public bodies. The MPO could assist with tackling those obstacles more efficiently by improving co-ordination across the Scottish Government and related agencies/authorities. The MPO therefore has the potential to be a valuable addition to Scotland's infrastructure framework, although it will be important to ensure that the MPO’s role complements (rather than duplicates) the functions already performed by bodies such as SFT.

The success of the MPO will ultimately depend on the specifics of its remit, governance and authority and further guidance on this from the Scottish Government would be welcomed – particularly for project investors, sponsors, developers and contractors.