Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Infrastructure definition

What does Infrastructure mean? In legal practice, infrastructure describes assets and networks that provide essential or public services and the projects to procure, finance, construct, operate and maintain them. It is a descriptive term rather than a single defined legal concept; sectoral statutes and planning regimes define specific categories for particular purposes (for example, nationally significant infrastructure projects under the Planning Act 2008 in England and Wales; national or major developments in Scotland; regionally significant development in Northern Ireland; and strategic infrastructure development under Ireland’s Planning and Development Acts). Sectors commonly include transport (roads, railways, ports and airports), social infrastructure (schools, hospitals and justice estates),...

Infrastructure construction contracts: selecting and tailoring EPC/Turnkey, NEC, FIDIC, IChemE, ICC, JCT and partnering forms; procurement models, risk allocation and bespoke drafting considerations

Published by a LexisNexis Construction expert

Practice notes

Infrastructure spans an extensive spectrum of assets, covering everything from schools, hospitals, highways and rail routes to wind power, electricity, waste and water schemes, as well as oil and gas installations, pipelines and Processing facilities. Contractors are increasingly sharpening specialist skills and delivering infrastructure schemes across borders. Consequently, the construction contract forms in play are becoming more internationally standardised. Although infrastructure contracts share core clauses, no single template suits every scheme. Any template must be adapted to reflect the project’s particular issues and subject matter, the parties’ risk allocation, and to comply with the governing law of the contract and the project’s location. In some cases, a bespoke infrastructure construction contract is a better choice than a heavily amended standard form.

Choice of contract

The contract model adopted for an infrastructure build will depend on the:

Procurement of the works, for example:
- under a single construction agreement with one contractor taking single-point responsibility for delivery, such as an Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC)/Turnkey arrangement
- under a single construction agreement with one contractor whilst the employer retains certain project risk...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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