Assessment of developed strategies and packages

Introduction

This section sets out the guidance on the assessment of developed strategies and packages which may span multiple activity classes - for the 2012-15 NLTP A National Land Transport Programme Interrelated and complementary combination of activities that, when delivered in a coordinated manner, produce synergies – can span more than one work category and more than one activity class, e.g. a programme could include a road improvement and public transport improvement activities. adopted by the NZTA under section 19 of the LTMA, as from time to time amended or varied only.

For the latest information, please see the Assessment Framework for the 2015-18 NLTP.

The NZTA encourages Approved Organisations and the NZTA (state highways) to request NZTA support for strategies and endorsement of packages, particularly for large or complex activities that require substantial investment, integration and coordination for their implementation.

Benefits of early support

The NZTA’s assessment of strategies and packages and consequent decision to support strategies and endorse packages provides early investment signals to proposers and helps to inform and simplify future funding applications for the activities included in strategies and packages.

Assessment Framework

Strategies and packages are assessed using the NZTA’s Assessment Framework and considerations as described previously in this section. Where strategies and packages span more than one activity class, a composite approach with the pre-dominant potential of the strategy/package informing the strategic fit rating.

Further definition on the assessment of strategies and packages is found at:

• Support for strategies
• Endorsement of packages

Progressive assessment

Determination of the assessment profile The three-part rating for an activity, rated as high, medium or low e.g. HMM, and representing the assessment for Strategic Fit, Effectiveness, and Benefit and Cost Appraisal respectively. for large strategies and packages is a progressive process:

• During the strategy development phase, a detailed assessment is made of the strategic fit of the problem, issue or opportunity addressed. A coarse estimate should be made of effectiveness and efficiency.
• Through the development of a package, the strategic fit rating is confirmed and a detailed assessment is made of its effectiveness. The assessment of the economic efficiency is often coarse at this stage, but effort should be made to produce as robust an indicator of economic efficiency as possible. For packages that have low or medium ratings for economic efficiency, evidence should be provided that demonstrates the effort made to produce a robust estimate, including peer review.
• During the investigation phase of the package or component projects, the assessments of strategic fit and effectiveness are confirmed and a detailed assessment is made of the economic efficiency of the package/projects.
• During the design phase of component projects, the emphasis is on updating and confirming the assessments made in the previous phases, particularly the economic efficiency rating.