Brave new world – the impact of COVID-19 on upcoming and ongoing PPP tenders

“It’s no use going back to yesterday, because it was a different world then. So which way should we go from here?” – Alice in Wonderland

As we look into this new year, it does indeed bring a new world in many ways. For those of us who work with infrastructure PPPs, there’s a lot to contemplate: What is the impact of the pandemic on upcoming and ongoing PPP tenders? Will the public sector launch more infrastructure projects to support the economy? Or will it redirect resources from infrastructure to health and social sectors? Will the pandemic help optimize award procedures? Is the private sector more eager to participate in tender processes that may result in winning a long-term PPP with a reliable government counterparty? Or will companies shy away from participation in uncertain times? These are all important questions, as a PPP tender requires significant upfront investment with no guarantee of success and limited (if any) compensation for bid costs. More