Region: Global
Country: Global / Non-Specific
Keywords: About PPP, Knowledge Lab
Document(s):
Document Summary:
There is a recognized need to incorporate sustainability considerations in infrastructure projects delivered through public–private partnerships (PPPs). The aim of this study is to explore how such incorporation can be encouraged. The research is based on a documentary analysis of 25 Flemish PPP infrastructure projects and two follow-up single-case studies. The findings show that sustainability considerations currently play only a limited role, and that the social dimensions of sustainability are largely neglected. It seems likely that this neglect is due to the difficulties encountered in formulating measurable social sustainability criteria. Based on case studies, several governance instruments are presented that might stimulate more consideration for sustainability. This study should, therefore, be of value to practitioners who wish to procure sustainable PPP projects. However, it must be noted that a “strong” sustainability perspective seems inherently incompatible with the contractual PPP project structure, which requires measurable and enforceable performance indicators.
Document Details:
The central research questions we examine in this article are the following: (1) To what degree and in what way do governments incorporate sustainability considerations when procuring PPP infrastructure projects? (2) How can the incor- poration of sustainability considerations in these PPP infra- structure projects be stimulated? It is not our objective to compare PPP infrastructure projects with the delivery of tradi- tionally procured infrastructure projects. Our focus is rather on the governance instruments within PPPs. Our empirical research focuses on public–private partnership projects in Flanders (Belgium) and is based on an analysis of the tender documents of twenty-five PPPs and case studies of two PPP projects.
The remainder of this article is structured as follows: Section 3 explains how sustainability can be understood in the context of PPP infrastructure projects. Moreover, we identify the gover- nance options (theoretically) available in PPPs to stimulate sustainability. Subsequently, Section 4 describes the research methods. Section 5 continues with the findings of the document analysis and the case studies, and offers recommendations for stimulating sustainability in PPPs. Finally, Section 6 discusses the conclusions and limitations of the research.
Updated: April 12, 2022