Transforming Infrastructure Performance
Summit | London '26
The UK has committed to the largest infrastructure programme in a generation, and the sector is rising to meet it. A £718 billion pipeline, a mandate to build 1.5 million homes and an accelerating net zero transition together represent perhaps the greatest commercial opportunity for infrastructure in decades. With NISTA now firmly embedded in turning that strategy into reality, the conditions for transformational delivery are in place.
TIP London 2026 is where the sector comes together to make the most of that moment: a day of genuine scrutiny, hard conversations and actionable insight from the people responsible for making it happen.
Hosted by Bentley Systems’ Infrastructure Policy Advancement initiative, in collaboration with our partners, TIP brings together senior leaders, policymakers and innovators for a full day of high-impact discussion at the heart of Westminster.
EVENT DETAILS
- Date: Wednesday 11 November 2026
- Time: 9:00 to 17:30
- Venue: Institution of Civil Engineers, One Great George Street, Westminster, London SW1P 3AA
REGISTRATION
Join a select group of infrastructure leaders, policymakers, and innovators for a meaningful exchange of ideas. These invite-only gatherings offer a chance to explore forward-thinking approaches, share your perspective, and help shape the future of infrastructure. Space is limited, so register now at the bottom of the page to secure your spot.
WHY TIP MATTERS
We are halfway through the Labour government’s parliamentary term and infrastructure investment remains firmly at the core of its mission for growth. With NISTA embedded in turning a £718 billion pipeline into delivery reality, and mandates to build 1.5 million homes and reach net zero, the commercial opportunity for the sector is without precedent.
Yet ambition without delivery is just a number. TIP London exists to close that gap: putting the strategy under genuine scrutiny, surfacing what is working, and leaving every participant better equipped to act.
The value of the Summit lies in a curate agenda. Large enough to convene a full day’s programme with senior decision-makers across the infrastructure lifecycle. Small enough to ensure every participant can engage in real conversation over the course of the day.
THE CHALLENGE AHEAD
Three systemic challenges define the UK infrastructure moment in 2026.
Data and digital technology: The use of data and digital technology has matured from an optional efficiency driver into a core commercial imperative. Tier 1 contractors and their supply chains are being reshaped by data, generative AI, predictive analytics and digital twins. The opportunity lies in breaking down the entrenched commercial structures that have historically disincentivised collaboration, and beginning to treat data as the critical, valued asset it is.
Industrialised construction: The transition from site-based building to industrialised manufacturing offers one of the most compelling answers to stagnant productivity and fragmented supply chains. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) are gaining real traction across the sector. Shifting precision to the factory floor is increasingly seen as one of the most promising routes to the speed and sustainability the pipeline demands.
People and skills: None of this is possible without people. The pipeline requires an extra 100,000 workers every year. With a £625 million government commitment, the new Construction Skills Mission Board represents an urgent effort to unite industry, educators and unions around a shared skills agenda.
WHAT TO EXPECT
TIP London 2026 brings together top infrastructure leaders across four themed sessions designed to move beyond conversation and towards action.
Session 1: Understanding the UK’s 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy
Eighteen months in: Is the strategy translating into delivery reality?
Session 2: Industrialising Infrastructure Performance
From digital tools to modern methods of construction, what will it take to move innovation from pilot to mainstream?
Session 3: Housing-Led Infrastructure: Breaking Down Silos
Roads, water, energy and digital connectivity must all come together to build 1.5 million homes. Who is responsible for making that happen?
Session 4: Case Studies: Delivering the UK’s 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy
Direct from the front line: What the UK’s biggest live programmes are learning, and what every other project in the room can take away.
TIP SUMMIT FLIP-BOOK
Unlock the secrets to transforming infrastructure performance with the summit flipbook from last year’s TIP Summit | London ’25
Dive into valuable insights on regional infrastructure trends, gain expert perspectives from this year’s inspiring speakers, and explore actionable strategies to enhance your project performance.
Access speaker session videos to hear directly from the inspiring voices that shaped this year’s discussions.
AGENDA
Agenda details, including speaker lineup and session topics, are currently being finalized. We’re curating a program that reflects the most urgent challenges and innovative solutions in infrastructure performance. Full agenda information will be shared here soon—stay tuned for updates as planning progresses.
AGENDA
Session 1: Understanding the UK’s 10-year infrastructure strategy
Activity | Speakers | Overview |
Ministerial welcome | Blair McDougall MP, Construction Minister Q&A led by Janet Young, ICE Director General | The Construction Minister sets the tone for the day: how infrastructure will drive growth under the new Burnham administration. Hear what the 10-year strategy means for housing, energy, transport, water and resilience, and where skills and digital delivery fit in. |
Keynote: NISTA after 18 months – how is it transforming infrastructure performance? | Jonathan Saks, Director of Strategy and Systems, NISTA | Eighteen months in, what has NISTA delivered and what comes next? Hear first-hand about its priority sectors, Project Reset and how industry can make the most of the pipeline. |
Panel: The NISTA Panel – putting the strategy and pipeline on the spot | Jonathan Saks, Director of Strategy and Systems, NISTA Paul Compton, Deputy Director, Capability and Capacity, NISTA Rea Robey, Deputy Director, Infrastructure Pipeline, NISTA Moderated by Janet Young, ICE Director General | How is NISTA and the Infrastructure Pipeline transforming our approach to: · Skills, market capacity and productivity · Technology, data and insight · Environment and sustainability · Business and delivery models |
Session 2: Industrialising infrastructure performance
Activity | Speakers | Overview |
Keynote: Efficiency vs security: managing the use of AI in the built environment | Sadie Morgan, Former NIC Commissioner and Chair of Answerable | Sadie Morgan unveils Answerable, a new governance layer helping professionals use AI with confidence. Hear how its planned accreditation programme will build a cross-sector network of “AI Leads” to uphold standards. |
Panel: The technology panel – data and digital tools to industrialise infrastructure: navigating the risks and opportunities | Sadie Morgan, Former NIC Commissioner and Chair of Answerable Keir Regan-Alexander, Arka Works Milda Manomaityte, Chief Executive Officer, Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) Discussion led by Huda As’ad, Managing Director, Infrastructure & Capital Projects UKI, Accenture | AI adoption is as much about mindset, incentives and confidence as technology. Leading voices debate how to make data and digital tools work in practice and weigh the risks and opportunities. |
Keynote: Hospital 2.0 – industrialising construction to secure the £37bn Hospital 2.0 Alliance | Emma Whigham, Alliance Director, New Hospital Programme | Discover Hospital 2.0 Alliance, the new commercial and delivery model behind the £37bn ambition to replace ageing hospitals. Standardised, industrialised construction promises faster delivery, better quality and predictable costs. |
Panel: The Hospital 2.0 Alliance – a transformation to collaborative industrialised delivery | Emma Whigham, Alliance Director, New Hospital Programme Stephen Ford, NHP Derriford Hospital ECB Project Director, Willmott Dixon Alexis Carylon, Women and Children’s Programme Manager, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust Moderated by Antony Oliver, Infrastructure Journalist and host of The Infrastructure Podcast | Ten construction firms, one Alliance, first projects from 2027. Hear what is working, the lessons so far, and how the programme gives suppliers the confidence to invest in skills and manufacturing. |
Session 3: Transforming delivery
Activity | Speakers | Overview |
Interview: Why do UK infrastructure projects carry higher indirect costs than the rest of the world? | David Coles, Chief Engineer, Department for Transport Interviewed by Antony Oliver, Infrastructure Journalist and host of The Infrastructure Podcast | Why do UK major projects carry indirect costs of 25% to 32% when international peers manage 12% to 18%? Hear the findings of a new report by the Department for Transport. |
Case study Bridging the Value Gap – understanding value priorities between young people and the built environment sector | Professor Jeni Giambona, Associate Dean (Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise), University of Southampton Business School Dr Nicholas Dacre, Associate Professor of Project Management, University of Southampton | A new University of Southampton report asks why young people aren’t choosing built environment careers. Hear the findings, and whether the sector has a value recognition gap. |
Panel Careers and the value gap | Professor Jeni Giambona, Associate Dean (Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise), University of Southampton Business School Dr Nicholas Dacre, Associate Professor of Project Management, University of Southampton | How do young people see the sector, and what would make it an attractive career? Industry and academic voices discuss what must happen next to secure the skills the pipeline needs. |
Session 4: Case studies – understanding the challenge and opportunity of delivering the UK’s 10-year infrastructure strategy
Activity | Speakers | Overview |
Case study 1: Water Securing the nation’s water supply | Leonie Dubois, Delivery Director, Consents and Place, Thames Water | Inside Thames Water’s proposed White Horse Reservoir, one of nine new storage schemes under Ofwat’s PR24 plans. A front-line look at securing long-term water supply. |
Case study 2: Highways Lower Thames Crossing | Matt Palmer, Director, Lower Thames Crossing | The Lower Thames Crossing after DCO approval: early works under way and new benchmarks being set in net-zero construction, digital delivery and regional skills. See what a mega-project pathfinder looks like in practice. |
Case study 3: Investing in Heathrow The T4 Front Door programme | Hayley Page, Principal Project Manager, T4 Front Door programme, Heathrow | Part of Heathrow’s £1.3 billion H7 investment programme, the T4 Front Door project will deliver a new car park, expanded check-in and better forecourt access in phases to 2031, all while the terminal keeps operating. |
SPEAKERS
Blair McDougall MP
Construction Minister
Jonathan Saks
Director of Strategy and Systems, NISTA
Paul Compton
Deputy Director, Capability and Capacity, NISTA
Rea Robey
Deputy Director, Infrastructure Pipeline, NISTA
Dr Janet Young CBE
Sadie Morgan
Former NIC Commissioner and Chair of Answerable
Keir Regan-Alexander
Arka Works
Milda Manomaityte
Chief Executive Officer, Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE)
Huda As'ad
Emma Whigham
Alliance Director, New Hospital Programme
Stephen Ford
NHP Derriford Hospital ECB Project Director, Willmott Dixon
Alexis Carylon
Women and Children’s Programme Manager, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
David Coles
Chief Engineer, Department for Transport
Professor Jeni Giambona
Associate Dean (Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise), University of Southampton Business School
Dr Nicholas Dacre
Associate Professor of Project Management, University of Southampton
Leonie Dubois
Delivery Director, Consents and Place, Thames Water
Matt Palmer
Director, Lower Thames Crossing
Hayley Page
Principal Project Manager, T4 Front Door programme, Heathrow
Mark Coates
Vice President of
Infrastructure
Policy Advancement,
Bentley Systems
Antony Oliver
Moderator / Infrastructure Journalist
REGISTER NOW
We respect your privacy. By submitting this form, you consent to us collecting, storing, and processing your personal data in accordance with GDPR. Your information will be used solely for event registration and for sharing post-event content and marketing materials, as outlined in our Privacy Policy. We will not share your information without your explicit consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting our team.
REGISTRATION CLOSED
Thank you for your interest in this event. Registration is now closed.