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A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction Management, and Computers & Digitization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2024) | Viewed by 25526

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Dr. Patrick S.W. Fong

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School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Southport, QLD 4215, Australia
Interests: knowledge management; innovation; learning dynamics; project management; public-private partnership; value management; social value
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The concept of public–private partnership (PPP) is not new. Indeed, it has been with us for as long as private funds have been used to provide a facility or service that can be used by the general public. This arrangement has been implemented in many countries, and is used in different sectors of an economy, especially infrastructure or capital projects. PPP combines the efforts of the public and private sectors to provide a facility for use by the public. It is defined as:

“… a combination of resources of the public and private sectors in the quest for the more efficient service provision” (Akintoye et al., 2003)

“…partnerships between the public sector and the private for the purpose of designing, planning, financing, and constructing and operation of projects which would be regarded traditionally has following within their remit of the public sector” (Webb and Pulle, 2002)

“...the government and private party working together under a long term arrangements, whereby payments to the private sector depend upon its continuing to deliver the specific services to the agreed performance standards” (Pierce and Little, 2002)

“… a corporate venture between public and private sectors, built on expertise of each partner that best meets the clearly defined public need to the appropriate application of resource risks and rewards” (Allan, 1999)

Without a universally agreed definition of PPP, the World Bank in 2017 produced a holistic view of what a PPP is, and defined it as “a long-term contract between a private party and a government entity, for providing a public asset or service, in which the private party bears significant risk and management responsibility and remuneration is linked to performance” (World Bank, 2017: 1).

With the inclusion of these useful definitions of PPP, this Special Issue will invite authors, both academics and practitioners, to shed light on this very important topic through submitting high-quality papers on one or more of the following topics related to PPP:

Transfer of risk;
Value for money;
Management;
Innovation;
Social;
Legal;
Economic;
Environmental;
Political.

We hope that this Special Issue will become an important one-stop reference for both academics and practitioners on the topic of PPP.

Dr. Patrick S.W. Fong
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

public–private partnership
projects
risks
effectiveness
politics and economy
project delivery
decision to invest
value for money
relationships
legal aspects

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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22 pages, 2152 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Triadic Competency Requirement Model for Successful Win-Win Optimization in Public–Private Partnerships: A Structural Equation Modelling

by Bridget T. B. Eshun, Albert P. C. Chan, Emmanuel B. Boateng and Daniel Oteng

Buildings 2024, 14(12), 3768; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14123768 - 26 Nov 2024

Abstract

Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives are often promoted as a mechanism for achieving win-win outcomes. However, recent studies highlight the realisation as a hurdle due to gaps in public and private sector competencies. PPP studies have typically focused on specific competency areas and have typically overlooked assessing the interrelationships among various competency dimensions, although these interconnections reflect how competencies function in real-world projects. Therefore, this study sets the pace in the development and modelling of a holistic competency requirement model for the public and private sectors in PPP schemes. A comprehensive literature review coupled with expert validation through piloting identified and categorised the competencies while Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was adopted in model development. Findings indicated that public and private sector competencies for win-win optimisation should capture functional requirements, which are PPP scheme and type dependent, organisational requirements which highlight the institutional build of the project parties and relational/behavioural competency requirements that capture the traits and alliancing attributes. The study recommends the strategic alignment of public and private sector roles, skills, and capabilities before initiating infrastructure development to cultivate an environment conducive to achieving win-win outcomes in PPPs. This study challenges the conventional isolated approaches to PPP competencies with an integrated approach that deepens the understanding of successful infrastructure development in PPP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Construction Project Deliveries)

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16 pages, 5709 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring Briefing Processes across Mature Markets of Public–Private Partnership (PPP) Projects: Comparative Insights and Important Considerations

by Rauda Al Saadi and Alaa Abdou

Buildings 2024, 14(7), 2125; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14072125 - 11 Jul 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 790

Abstract

The primary objective of this research paper is to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the process of developing briefs for Public–Private Partnership (PPP) projects. The study aims to outline the fundamental stages, standard processes, and critical decision points involved in this process. This is achieved through a comparative analysis of briefing frameworks used in three countries that are among the top in the PPP Market Maturity chart: The United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. The paper discusses the stages and decision points within these countries’ briefing processes, highlighting their challenges, similarities, and differences. It emphasizes the fundamental role of effective communication and coordination in PPP projects, which involve multiple stakeholders. By examining these interconnected activities and analyzing the phases, stages, and key processes constituting the briefing process, the study provides valuable insights into the PPP briefing processes in these nations. The paper concludes by proposing a conceptual process framework for brief development in PPP projects, which will be further tailored for adaptation in the PPP market in the United Arab Emirates. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Construction Project Deliveries)

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29 pages, 1709 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on the Construction of a Risk Assessment Indicator System for Transportation Infrastructure Investment under Public–Private Partnership Model

by Xiangjian Weng, Chunhui Yuan, Xiaolong Li and Hui Li

Buildings 2024, 14(6), 1679; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14061679 - 5 Jun 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 858

Abstract

This paper is dedicated to developing a risk assessment indicator system applicable to transportation infrastructure investment projects in the public–private partnership (PPP) model. Initially, through practical research, literature reviews, and expert interviews, key risk factors for transportation infrastructure investment projects in the PPP mode were identified. Based on these risk factors, a preliminary risk assessment indicator system was established. Subsequently, the principal component analysis (PCA) was used to reduce the dimensions of the indicators, simplify the structure of the system, and highlight key risk factors. Simultaneously, the CRITIC-EWM method was applied to calculate the weights of the indicators. Furthermore, to validate the effectiveness of the indicator system, a questionnaire survey was conducted, collecting 314 responses. Structural equation modeling was applied to validate the effectiveness of the indicator system and examine its application value in practical risk management processes. The primary contribution of this study lies in proposing a method for constructing a risk assessment indicator system that combines quantitative and qualitative analyses, providing new theoretical and practical guidance for risk management of transportation infrastructure investment projects under the PPP mode. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Construction Project Deliveries)

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19 pages, 3901 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Why Are PPP Projects Stagnating in China? An Evolutionary Analysis of China’s PPP Policies

by Yougui Li, Erman Xu, Zhuoyou Zhang, Shuxian He, Xiaoyan Jiang and Martin Skitmore

Buildings 2024, 14(4), 1160; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14041160 - 19 Apr 2024

Viewed by 1659

Abstract

The Public–Private Partnership (PPP) model has significantly contributed to global infrastructure and public service provision. The evolution of the PPP model closely aligns with policy directives. China’s PPP policy evolution has included five stages: budding (1986–2000), fluctuating (2001–2008), steady (2009–2012), expanding (2013–2018), and stagnating (2019–present). This study employs bibliometric analysis and co-word analysis to examine 407 policies enacted by the Chinese government from 1986 to 2018. By extracting policy text keywords at various stages and constructing a co-word network matrix, this study delineates the distinctive characteristics of Chinese PPP policies across different epochs. It can be found that critical areas such as “government credit”, “contract spirit”, and “power supervision” are still underappreciated. The challenges confronting China’s PPP model are multifaceted, stemming from policy gaps that have led to substantial project difficulties. Although the government proposed a new mechanism for franchising in 2023, the new mechanism is only for new PPP projects, and the difficulties of existing PPP projects have not been solved. This study advocates for enhancements in project bankability, regulatory clarity, institutional environment improvement, contract spirit defense, and the development of the PPP-REITs model to address these issues. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Construction Project Deliveries)

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36 pages, 13879 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Riesgo: A Knowledge-Based Qualitative Risk Assessment System for PPP Projects

by Kadir Kuru and Deniz Artan

Buildings 2024, 14(4), 953; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14040953 - 30 Mar 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1552

Abstract

A successful public-private partnership (PPP) relies heavily on effective risk assessment, given the intricate risk factors and contractual arrangements involved. While quantitative risk assessment methods have received significant attention in the PPP literature, qualitative risk assessment, the sector’s predominant preference, remains underexplored, causing a low level of applicability of academic studies and indicating a noticeable research gap. A qualitative risk assessment tool prototype, Riesgo, is developed in this paper as a customizable, knowledge-based digital risk register incorporating a pre-defined template that guides users using PPP risk factors, compensation and mitigation options, project information requirements, and risk register items. This paper presents the proposed system architecture, explains the research steps adopted in determining the system elements, and delineates the system functions through a use case developed to illustrate the process and information flows. The prototype was verified by 13 PPP experts who employed it for risk assessment, and their feedback was utilized for further development. A validation survey of 21 professionals affirmed Riesgo’s usability and applicability in the industry. The customizable and knowledge-based prototype has the potential to streamline effective risk assessment and guide the users across various PPP phases, such as early risk assessment, feasibility studies, contract preparation, and monitoring. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Construction Project Deliveries)

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20 pages, 707 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Determining the Critical Risk Factors of Implementing Public–Private Partnership in Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Facilities: Perspectives of Private and Public Partners in Iran

by Leila Moradi Shahdadi, Babak Aminnejad, Hadi Sarvari and Daniel W. M. Chan

Buildings 2023, 13(11), 2735; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13112735 - 30 Oct 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2045

Abstract

Due to the fact that risks can cause project delays and increase project implementation costs, successful construction project completion requires effective and holistic risk management. Identification and evaluation of critical risk factors (CRFs) associated with different types of projects are the most significant components of accurate risk management. This study aims to identify and evaluate the CRFs inherent with private–public partnership (PPP) projects specifically for the development of water and wastewater infrastructure (WWI) facilities in the developing country of Iran. In this line, a comprehensive literature analysis was undertaken to extract the CRFs in applying PPP projects for the development of infrastructure projects in developing countries in general. Then, four rounds of a Delphi survey were conducted to consolidate the major risks to the circumstances of Iran and WWI facilities. There were a total of 35 risks that were grouped into six categories. The main risks were then analyzed and ranked using the Measurement Alternatives and Ranking according to the Compromise Solution (MARCOS) technique. The overall ranking results of the various CRFs revealed that “lack of trust in government’s economic programs” risk was ranked first in terms of importance, followed by the risk of “delay in timely fund payment for project financing and credits,” and the risk of “delay in finalizing bank negotiations.” The overall ranking of the risks placed “economic changes, such as inflation, increase or decrease in prices, and exchange rate” risk in the bottom position. According to the risk ranking findings based on the opinions of private experts, “lack of commitment to the project schedule” was placed first. Conversely, experts from the public sector considered “choosing the wrong financing method” to be the most CRF. It is anticipated that the key research findings and effective recommendations of this study will considerably contribute to the smooth development and remarkable improvement of risk management in applying PPP for WWI facilities in developing countries while enhancing different stakeholders’ understanding of the CRFs for PPP projects, particularly towards WWI services in Iran. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Construction Project Deliveries)

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15 pages, 1082 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Driving Factors of Concession Period in Healthcare Public Private Partnerships

by Gabriel Castelblanco, Pourya Safari and Alberto De Marco

Buildings 2023, 13(10), 2452; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13102452 - 27 Sep 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1630

Abstract

Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) play a vital role in infrastructure development and public service delivery, with government entities collaborating with private sector organizations to achieve shared goals in the long term. An essential aspect of PPP contracts is the concession period, during which Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) are responsible for financing, building, operating, and maintaining public assets. The concession period has significant implications, associated with project risk, revenue, operations expenses, profitability, and bankability. While numerous studies focus on determining “optimal” concession periods, fewer explore the factors driving concession periods in national PPP programs, especially for social infrastructure projects relying primarily on availability payments. To fill this gap, this research aims to identify and analyze the effect of various potential factors on the length of the concession period, using linear regression analysis on a data set of healthcare PPP projects in Italy. This research theoretically contributes to understanding the driving factors of concession periods in PPP projects and provides insights for a balanced approach to PPP project planning and regulation and related strategies. On the practical side, decision makers can negotiate optimized concession periods, ensuring successful and sustainable public infrastructure projects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Construction Project Deliveries)

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31 pages, 2897 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring Risk Factors Affecting Sustainable Outcomes of Global Public–Private Partnership (PPP) Projects: A Stakeholder Perspective

by Zilin Li and Haotian Wang

Buildings 2023, 13(9), 2140; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13092140 - 23 Aug 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3721

Abstract

As a model for delivering infrastructure initiatives, public–private partnerships (PPPs) have gained significant popularity in recent years. The globalization of PPP has exposed them to elevated risks emanating from the international real economy and financial market, which can ultimately result in project cancellations or distress. This study analyzes risk factors affecting the sustainable outcomes of global PPP projects from a stakeholder perspective. After identifying the interests of key stakeholders and examining how various risks influence stakeholders’ interests, a two-step binomial probit model is used to investigate domestic and international risk factors in PPP arrangements based on the World Bank PPI database. The empirical results indicate that inflation has a substantially positive effect on project failure, while factors such as PPP experience, central government involvement, exchange rate fluctuations, etc., significantly contribute to PPP success. In addition, the study demonstrates that trade openness and net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow are crucial for the transmission of global risks. The study also provides policy implications and recommendations from a risk allocation–stakeholder relationship perspective to enhance the resilience of PPP initiatives based on these findings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Construction Project Deliveries)

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26 pages, 4620 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identification of Various Execution Modes and Their Respective Risks for Public–Private Partnership (PPP) Infrastructure Projects

by Muhammad Akhtar, Nadeem Ahmad Mufti, Sajjad Mubin, Muhammad Qaiser Saleem, Sadaf Zahoor and Sanna Ullah

Buildings 2023, 13(8), 1889; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13081889 - 25 Jul 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4134

Abstract

The public–private partnership (PPP) based model for the execution of infrastructure projects originated from Anglo-Saxon countries and was initially used in 1977 by the United Kingdom (U.K). Since then, its popularity has increased worldwide. Earlier studies by researchers and many other professional sectors and departments have introduced PPP contracts into different execution modes like Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT); Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer (BOOT); and Build, Lease, and Transfer (BLT), etc. All definitions of PPP contracts are different but have a few common characteristics and risks. Previously, numerous pieces of literature were available on these common risks for various execution modes of PPP contracts. However, each PPP mode still has unique risks that must be identified to understand and successfully implement the PPP projects properly. This paper fills the gap mentioned above and aims to identify various commonly used PPP execution modes in infrastructure projects and their corresponding risks after placing the different PPP execution modes into four (04) different categories. Identified risks for the corresponding PPP categories were also divided into seven (07) stages of the PPP life cycle. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather information from thirty-four (34) PPP experts worldwide. Accordingly, interviews are transcribed and processed for thematic analysis in academic NVIVO software. These identified risks are further placed in the respective PPP category for the convenience and better understanding of the study’s outcome to the users and for the subsequent prioritization and allocation of these identified risks accordingly to the PPP parties during the finalization of the PPP execution mode. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Construction Project Deliveries)

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Review

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20 pages, 949 KiB

Open AccessReview

Building Urban Community Resilience against Hazards through Public-Private Partnerships: A Review of Critical Resilience Strategies

by Robert Osei-Kyei, Godslove Ampratwum, Vivian W. Y. Tam, Ursa Komac and Timur Narbaev

Buildings 2024, 14(7), 1947; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14071947 - 27 Jun 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1363

Abstract

The need for governments and stakeholders to find urgent solutions to address the destructive effects of disasters in urban areas has led to the call for cross-sector collaborations such as public-private partnerships to assist with the development of urban community resilience in this modern era. This paper comprehensively reviews studies on the critical strategies in using public-private partnerships as a collaboration mechanism in building urban community resilience. Through a two-stage systematic literature review process, 83 publications related to PPPs and urban community resilience were retrieved for thorough content analysis. Based on an analysis of the literature, 35 critical resilience strategies for using PPPs in building urban community resilience were derived. These strategies were further categorized into nine major groupings. These groups include vulnerability and risks assessment, information gathering, database, legal, monitoring and evaluation, resilience capacity, communication and coordination, financial incentives, and business continuity. Furthermore, a theoretical framework was developed. These resilience strategies can be adopted by states and communities that intend to use the PPP concept to build the resilience of their urban communities. It also opens the international debate on the suitability of the PPP model for community resilience building. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Construction Project Deliveries)

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18 pages, 630 KiB

Open AccessReview

Critical Success Factors of Water and Power Public–Private Partnerships in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review

by Khaled Aljaber, M. Sohail and Kirti Ruikar

Buildings 2024, 14(6), 1603; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14061603 - 1 Jun 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 808

Abstract

Public–private partnerships (PPP) have evolved as a choice of infrastructure procurement for numerous developing countries, particularly in the water and power sectors, thereby capturing the interest of researchers. A rich body of literature exists in the field of PPPs, as well as their critical success factors (CSF). Despite the valuable insights garnered from individual studies, a research gap exists in conducting a meta-synthesis of the findings from multiple developing countries and investigating the broader elements and themes of power and water PPP CSF research. This systematic review employed the PRISMA protocol and identified 30 records. We explored the regions, sectors, yearly output, adopted research methods, key authors, and themes of the corpus reviewed. The review recognised four emerging trends in the records, which are identifying, ranking, exploring the interrelationship, or utilising CSFs. The review identified the top 30 frequent CSFs in the corpus, as well as their ranking by importance across multiple settings. The review concludes by addressing geographic and methodological limitations and proposing directions for future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Construction Project Deliveries)

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24 pages, 3548 KiB

Open AccessReview

Public-Private Partnership: A Bibliometric Analysis and Historical Evolution

by Mathew Azarian, Asmamaw Tadege Shiferaw, Tor Kristian Stevik, Ola Lædre and Paulos Abebe Wondimu

Buildings 2023, 13(8), 2035; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13082035 - 9 Aug 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3992

Abstract

The broad and extensive application of public-private partnership (PPP), as well as the divergent documented definitions and experiences, have led to a translucent perspective of PPP and strained academia and industry to reach a consensus on the major practice of this concept. Early contractor involvement (ECI), governance tools, and relational contracting are only a few of the frameworks attributed to PPP. This issue has received limited attention from researchers, despite the focus of review studies on different disciplines of PPP. Hence, this paper puts forward the idea of conducting a comprehensive review to not only shed light on the major practice of PPP but also provide a wider outlook on this concept based on the research carried out since 1979. A narrative review is initially accomplished to identify the major drivers and milestones that have contributed to the evolution of PPP. Employing bibliometric analysis in the following phase assists in conducting a multi-dimensional assessment of studies published within the last five decades. The economic and societal practices of PPP throughout its evolution path signified the dominant application of this concept as a business model. The bibliometric analysis revealed that PPP has contributed to various sectors, i.e., urban development, public infrastructure, transportation, health, and education, just to name a few. In addition, economic and organizational management of PPP was revealed as a major research stream that was accompanied by sustainable development. As a matter of fact, economic and environmental sustainability are the major cross-disciplinary elements that form an interplay between the drivers and attributes of PPP. Value for money (VfM), technology, and innovation, along with smart infrastructure (SI) and smart cities (SCs), are identified as the major directions for the future research agenda associated with PPP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Construction Project Deliveries)

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