All of the parties involved in public-private partnership (PPP) transactions – including both governments and project developers – frequently express concern over the time and expense involved in creating the legal agreements that are at the center of every PPP project. Everyone recognizes the importance of PPP contracts, since they are the documents that set out how the partnership will work – but there are constant calls for making the contractual drafting process quicker and less expensive.

The right to use tracks during a defined term can also be part of a concession (or franchise) agreement. These agreements usually combine construction, maintenance and operation of a railway network and involve major investment.

Set out below are samples of standard bidding documents and guidance on preparing bidding documents developed for various countries.

Where PPP projects involve funding from the World Bank, then the World Bank Procurement Guidelines and Procedures will apply. This section also includes useful template bidding documents.

This section does not focus on the relationship between consortium members bidding on a project where they may decide to form a special purpose company, although the issues covered in the Joint Venture Checklist and the Joint Development Agreement Termsheet. See also Sources of Financing. It explores key issues to consider when establishing joint ventures.