The Interplay Between Infrastructure and Government Policy with David Ho

What does it mean to build infrastructure that goes beyond causing or just avoiding friction with the policy side of the table? In this episode, David Ho—former lawyer, infrastructure strategist, and seasoned capital program and project manager—joins Riccardo to discuss how major projects are shaped not only by procurement models but by the complex, nuanced world of policy-making.

David has experience in helping stakeholders understand the limits of doing everything at once and the possibilities that emerge when we confront different questions. From collaborative contracting models to data governance in healthcare infrastructure, he challenges them to think beyond technical fixes and ask, What’s the real problem we’re solving for? The relationship between infrastructure professionals and policymakers should involve informing policy, not just executing it.

David and Riccardo explore why infrastructure can struggle to keep pace with need and the role risk aversion plays in enacting change.

”It's ​like ​we ​didn't ​examine ​what ​were ​the ​original ​root ​cause ​problems ​that ​were ​driving ​us ​to ​what ​we've ​been ​feeling ​and ​seeing ​in ​the ​last ​few ​years. ​And ​by ​that ​I ​mean ​what ​are ​both ​the ​political ​and ​market ​dynamics ​that ​are ​bigger ​than ​just ​us, ​uh, ​in ​the ​infrastructure ​space? ​I'll ​speak ​for ​what ​I ​see ​in ​Ontario, ​in ​Canada, ​because ​I ​obviously ​know ​that ​best. ​But ​I, ​I ​have ​a ​suspicion ​this ​is ​very, ​very ​similar ​in ​other ​places ​around ​the ​world. ​If ​you ​ask ​people, ​you ​know, ​why ​are ​we ​going ​into ​a ​collaborative ​model, ​by ​the ​way? ​You ​know, ​whatever ​your ​working ​definition ​of ​collaborative ​or ​progressive ​actually ​means, ​I ​think ​you ​would ​get ​a ​lot ​of ​different ​answers ​of ​what ​people ​are ​trying ​to ​solve ​for. ​And ​none ​of ​them ​are ​necessarily ​wrong. ​But ​if ​you ​add ​them ​together,​sometimes ​we ​try ​and ​be ​too ​intellectually ​precise. ​We ​talk ​about ​risk, ​actually ​we ​talk ​about ​risk ​a ​lot, ​but ​we ​don't ​talk ​about ​market ​forces ​and ​dynamics ​and ​we ​don't ​talk ​about ​political ​pressures other ​than ​to ​just ​be ​really ​negative ​about ​them, ​but ​they're ​actually ​real.” - David Ho

Key Takeaways:

• Why building relationships isn't just practicing government relations.
• What can happen when we turn our minds to “what’s possible” instead of “why it’s not possible”.
• The impact of change management and agility on procurement and execution.
• What the voice of disruption looks like to create big changes in infrastructure.
• How health data privacy laws tie in to infrastructure.

The conversation doesn’t stop here—connect and converse with our community via LinkedIn:

• Follow Navigating Major Programmes - https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/
• Follow Riccardo Cosentino - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/
• Read Riccardo’s latest at www.riccardocosentino.com
• Follow David Ho - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtho-ontario/

Music: "A New Tomorrow" by Chordial Music. Licensed through PremiumBeat.