Treasury should take note of breakthrough analysis of how to successfully deliver Public Private Partnerships

September 24, 2004

With PPPs now well-established as a means of public service delivery, a new report by independent think-tank, the New Local Government Network (NLGN) has been heralded as a groundbreaking contribution which The Treasury should take note of. Speaking at the launch of Beyond Contract: What makes a PPP successful? Tim Stone, International Chairman of KPMG LLP, said:




    “With PPPs, the genie is out of the bottle. We have to now find a way of moving thought leadership away from standard PPP contracts and towards focussing on how best to get the delivery aspects right. The authors of this report should be congratulated on a fantastically thoughtful piece of work – the first of its kind – and I hope the Treasury takes note”.





While most previous analyses of PPPs focussed on the process up to contract-signing, Beyond Contract emphasises the period that follows. The authors – Stephen Reeve of the University of Brighton Business School and Warren Hatter, Head of NLGN’s Research Unit – base their findings on the experiences of practising managers within a ‘Practitioner Forum’. Originating from a variety of PPPs, members of this Forum were given the opportunity to share their experiences:




    “As the research progressed, it became clear that we were able to learn a lot from the way that practitioners tell the ‘locker-room stories’. They shed new light on the partnership experience”.





Consequently, Beyond Contract identifies distinct phases in the practical management of PPPs – ‘Vision’, ‘Action’ and ‘Evolution’ – each requiring different skills:




    “The experience of partnership implied several stages, where not only did the stage change, but handover between discrete groups or teams often occurred. At the very least, there is a handover of the skills required to successfully manage the partnership”.





The NLGN report also identifies a framework of ‘principles’ and ‘do’s and don’ts’ to guide each stage of the PPP process. While the authors emphasise that this should not be seen as ‘a blueprint for success’, they view the framework as pointing the way towards successful implementation of PPP aims.



All media enquiries to Ian Parker at NLGN on 020 7357 0116



Notes for Editors:

The New Local Government Network (NLGN) is an independent think-tank, seeking to transform public services, revitalise local political leadership and empower local communities. www.nlgn.org.uk



Beyond Contract: What makes a PPP successful? by Steve Reeve with Warren Hatter is available, price £21.25 (inc p&p) from network@nlgn.org.uk or 020 7357 0152.


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