Edited by Paul Hackett.
Published 2007 (ISBN 1 905370 27 X) Price £9.95
The UK has led the world in public-private partnerships (PPPs), with over £5 billion of private finance initiative (PFI) projects signed over the past 15 years. A further £6 billion of PFI investment is in the pipeline for the next three years, including substantial capital investment programmes in health and education. PPPs are now well established across all the key public service sectors and continue to act as a catalyst for innovation and reform. However, the evolution of PPPs has not been entirely without problems, and some trade unions remain strongly opposed to the PFI programme. There are also concerns among private bidders about the way PPPs are structured and designed. There is, nevertheless, cross-party support for PPPs and a much better understanding of how they operate over the longer term. The challenge, as outlined in this monograph, is to take forward the next generation of PPPs in a way that is best suited for tomorrow’s public services. We must establish, for example, how we can strengthen the system of checks and balances, and what more needs to be done to shift the focus away from the construction and maintenance of infrastructure and more towards issues such as “personalisation” and improving service outcomes. Getting the PPP programmes fit for purpose in an ever changing world will not be easy, not least in terms of quality, procurement routes, customer choice, value for money, governance and public accountability. These are all complex tasks, yet all of the authors of this monograph believe that PPPs can make a positive and lasting contribution towards the improvement of our public services.