A.17 Infrastructure UK has recently reviewed the timing of capital contributions. For the avoidance of doubt, the general policy remains as set out in SoPC4 at paragraph 3.9 and applies regardless of the size of the capital contribution.
A.18 However, for some projects, construction completion does not always mark a point of diminished risk. Authorities should demonstrate to Infrastructure UK the timing of capital contributions in the context of construction and operational risk posed to the Authority.
A.19 Funders, equity and subcontractors should not seek to have Authorities provide date certainty for payments or for payments to be made earlier than SoPC4 allows. The principles at Section 3.6 (Acceptance and Service Commencement) of SoPC4 apply to capital contributions. Where service commencement is phased and capital contributions are paid earlier than full service commencement, payment should be aligned with the services received and the level of risk retired at that point with provisions to cater for circumstances where full service commencement is not achieved.