The Norwegian State Project Model [Peder Berg]

The Norwegian model is a gateway model which is peculiar in that it specifically targets the Government ́s need for decision support in the early project phases. There are two gates.

The first comprises the appraisal of different concepts before the project is allowed to enter into basic engineering.

The second addresses the delivery to cost, quality and time frame considerations before the project is allowed to be submitted for appropriation. The scope is limited to the bigger projects with a threshold value of 750 MNOK (about 90 MEUR).

The governance is anchored at the Ministry of Finance, Budget Department. The Ministry has entered into framework contracts with private sector specialist companies which perform the reviews. The Ministry of Finance and the relevant line ministry are co-principals for the individual assignments.

What was later to become the second gate was the first to be established, in 2000, while the first gate followed in 2005.

In his presentation at Making Projects Fly in Toulouse, Peder will present an overview of the project model as well as experience and lessons learned as far as ex-post data allow for generalisations. Consequently, the emphasis is on the projects that were first subjected to reviews. 51 projects are presented, which is the total number of projects that have been completed by now, having been quality assured.

Peder was appointed leader of the project´s steering committee. The end result of this effort was the establishment in 2000 of the first part of what was to evolve into the Norwegian State Project Model. Peder drafted and implemented the somewhat embryonic system in 2000, as well as the extension into the fully-fledged project model, which followed in 2005. He has been responsible for the operation of the system from the outset.

In order to get research support for the system, with special emphasis on ex post evaluations, the Ministry of Finance is funding a research programme at the Norwegian University of Technology and Science in the City of Trondheim, the Concept Research Programme. Peder is the leader of the programme´s steering committee. He is also a founding member of the first PMI chapter in Norway.

The Concept Research Programme develops ways of improving the use of resources and enhancing the effects of major public investments. The principal goal of the Concept Research Programme is to develop knowledge and expertise on projects in the front-end phase, from the initial visualization until the decision to implement is made. Trailing research on large public investment projects is the main project activity. The goal is to attain better use of resources and greater effects of such investments. The Norwegian Ministry of Finance funds the programme.

Last month Peder convened Symposium 2014 ,organised by the Concept Research Program of an international audiences comprising researchers, civil servants and consultants with an emphasis on “Opportunities, decisions and their effects” Peder will pass on this knowledge and learning at Making Projects Fly and looks forward to the opportunity to network with colleagues in Toulouse.

Peder Berg is a Deputy Director at the Ministry of Finance Norway. As a response to a growing number of underperforming projects in the 1990´s the Government decided on establishing a project for an in-depth review of the systems governing project selection, cost estimates, risk and project execution.

Peder holds a degree as Civil Economist from the Norwegian School of Economics. Before being totally committed to projects, he held a number of positions with the Ministry of Finance, i.e. Chief State Accountant and Chief Inspector for the Collection of Taxes and VAT (including project ownership), Head of Division, Adviser and Senior Adviser at the Budget Department.