Steve Richards

Background

About Steve Richards

Steve has over 25 years' experience in government and, most recently, the private sector in project governance and leadership, project assurance including business cases and Gateway reviews, and commercial infrastructure and project advice. Steve is the current Chair of the New Zealand Government’s Expert Panel for New Zealand’s Infrastructure Priority Programme (IPP). The IPP assesses infrastructure proposals at key planning stages to identify high-quality projects that meet New Zealand's strategic objectives, represent good value for money, and can be delivered. The IPP is a key part of New Zealand's infrastructure planning framework, working alongside the National Infrastructure Strategy and the National Infrastructure Plan. Steve has also led two major assurance reviews for the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission on the Transmission Gully Highway project. Publicly available (see Transmission Gully | Review | Te Waihanga and Transmission Gully Post-Construction Review | Te Waihanga), these reports made several governance, infrastructure and procurement recommendations to improve the governance and delivery of major projects. Steve is a leading expert chair/reviewer team member in assurance and Gateway reviews including program and effectiveness reviews, strategic reviews, business case reviews, pre-tender reviews, and readiness-for-service reviews. Steve has led and participated in several reviews of major infrastructure projects. This experience includes leading Gateway Reviews for Infrastructure Tasmania, supporting the Australian Government on major infrastructure projects, Gateway Reviews for NSW Treasury, Infrastructure SA, Queensland Treasury and the former Building Queensland. Steve’s other areas of expertise organisational and governance reviews, project leadership, business cases, due-diligence, major and complex procurement, and commercial negotiations.