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Introducing the CNI passport
Another major efficiency barrier in CNI is security clearance. Today, each sector, and sometimes each department within a sector, has its own vetting process. Moving a specialist from a transport project to a defence contract can take weeks, if not months, of re-clearance.
A standardised CNI passport would enable engineers to move between sectors without repeated background checks, enabling burst capacity for critical projects, such as pulling in a Geographic Information System( GIS) expert for a two-week rail construction task. It would also help retain institutional knowledge, as teams could rotate across related CNI projects rather than being siloed.
Anyone who works within the sector will have seen the need for this flexibility firsthand. When specialised skills are required for shortterm projects, like GIS system optimisation, but onboarding experts quickly under the current clearance system is a struggle. A unified passport would remove these bottlenecks while maintaining rigorous security standards.
Learning from the AI frontrunners
In terms of driving shared innovation across CNI, it’ s clear not all sectors innovate at the same pace. That is especially visible with relatively new technologies like AI. Our work in the defence sector is a prime example of a frontrunner in this space. One of our partners was able to automate cost estimation, previously an eight-month consultant-led process, using trained agentic AI teams to deliver results in under 20 minutes. This same approach is now being explored in the rail sector, where AI promises to revolutionise construction planning and risk assessment.
Despite the potential benefits of AI, 74 per cent of companies struggle to scale AI projects according to data from Boston Consulting Group, and over 30 per cent never make it to production according to Gartner. Taking an umbrella approach could help lagging sectors avoid reinventing the wheel by
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