The UK Government has committed to considering the options for embedding the use of CoST or similar means of reporting on outturn performance, for publication on clients’ websites and/or a CoST portal by autumn 2013.

In its first Infrastructure Cost Review annual report the Government stated that it will work with industry in considering the next steps to extending the CoST demonstration projects and will publish the first wave of project reports.

The initial demonstration projects with the Highways Agency were the first to test the new CoST template for collating information from publicly funded construction projects. The UK Government believes testing this standardised approach is important for collecting outturn performance and cost data on a range of infrastructure projects.

The approach was tested on a hard shoulder improvement scheme on the M1 between Luton and Bedford, a viaduct replacement scheme on the M1 in Leicestershire, and a viaduct strengthening scheme on the M53 near Liverpool. The CoST template will shortly be made available on the CoST website.