Disruptions and PPPs

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Digital Public Infrastructure and Development: A World Bank Group Approach

DPI is an approach to digitalization focused on creating “foundational, digital building blocks designed for the public benefit.” By providing essential digital functions at society scale that can be…

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Digital Government Readiness Assessment Toolkit: Guidelines for Task Teams

The Digital Government Readiness Assessment (DGRA) Toolkit is a knowledge product developed as a global public good to help client countries leaders in digital agenda and Information and…

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Digital Progress and Trends Report 2025: Strengthening AI Foundations

The Digital Progress and Trends Report (DPTR) 2025, Strengthening AI Foundations, is the second in the Digital Progress and Trends Report series, providing a comprehensive, data-driven snapshot of…

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Disruptive Technology in the Transport Sector

Recent years have seen many technological developments that will have profound impacts on the transportation sector. It is anticipated that disruptive technologies (described in Appendix A, such as…

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Disruptive Technology in the Energy Sector

The energy sector is currently undergoing a major transformation. Overall, the sector is shaped by a shift from fossil fuels to renewables; price drops in renewable energy technology and battery…

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Examples of Disruptive Technologies and their Applications to Infrastructure

The following is a non-exhaustive list of disruptive technologies and their impact on PPP infrastructure projects: Renewable energyGeneric description: Renewable energy refers to the generation…

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Puerto Rico - Technological Upgrades and Contract Extension for P- 22 and P-5 Toll Roads

BackgroundPuerto Rico Highway 22 (PR-22) and Puerto Rico Highway 5 (PR-5) are limited access toll highways serving Puerto Rico’s northern coast and the San Juan metropolitan area. PR-22 is a 52-mile…

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Portugal – Renegotiation of PPP Highway Contracts after Global Financial Crisis

BackgroundPortugal started implementing a large PPP program in 1993, in particular in the transport and health sectors. Under its PPP program the country has approved a high number of PPPs over a…

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United States, Maryland – I-495 and I-270 PPP Project

BackgroundFor decades, congestion has plagued travelers on the Maryland side of the Capital Beltway (I-495) and I-270. In 2017 the governor of Maryland announced Maryland's Traffic Relief Plan to…

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Australia – Considering Future Technology Improvements to Victoria Water Desalination Plant

BackgroundAfter a decade that saw major droughts in the Australian state of Victoria’s central and eastern regions, including Melbourne and Geelong, desalination had become crucial for the water…

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Mongolia – Addressing Disruptive Technology through Renegotiation and Energy Regulation

BackgroundMongolia has been exploring renewable energy as a solution to tackle heavy reliance on coal for electricity generation, dependence on imported energy, and increasing energy demand. As of…

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Process for Assessing and Resolving Issues Related to Disruptive Technology

Review of the Project Fundamentals1. Technological ObsolescenceHave technological standards changed for construction or operation?Does the integration of disruptive technology require high upfront…

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Renegotiation, Government Step-in rights, Termination, and Dispute Resolution

Renegotiation, Government Step-in rights, Termination, and Dispute ResolutionIf the applicable adjustment mechanisms do not resolve the issue caused by disruptive technology, the parties may still…

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Adjustments in Exceptional Situations

PPP Contractual Provisions and Legal Mechanisms that Permit Adjustments in Exceptional SituationsA long-term unexpected change of circumstances brought on by new technologies might also disrupt the…

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Regular Adjustments

PPP Contractual Provisions that Permit Regular AdjustmentsDue to the long-term nature of a PPP project, most PPP contracts contain provisions by which the contracting authority or the private partner…

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Changing Technological Environment

Contractual Obligations to Adjust the Project to a Changing Technological EnvironmentOutput specificationsOne of the key benefits of a PPP is that it gives contracting authorities the increased…

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Structuring the PPP Contract

Addressing risks and opportunities related to technological innovation.Long-term, complex PPP projects always have to deal with unpredicted changes. Traffic volumes may turn out to be lower or higher…

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Considerations Related to Procurement

Procurement of infrastructure PPPs typically provides limited flexibility to modify the project if the external conditions change after delivery (see Section 4.2 for details). For example, the…

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Project Identification, Screening and Appraisal

Both governments and investors must consider longer-term planning in the project identification, screening and appraisal process, to ensure the sustainability of projects built today that will still…

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Disruptive Technology in the Context of Other Global Disruptions

The discussion of disruptive technology and its impacts on PPPs needs to be considered in the broader context of disruptions that have increased in recent years—and include unprecedented worldwide…

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Challenges of Disruptive Technology

Alongside the benefits, the rapid change enabled by disruptive technologies is also bringing new uncertainties. New technology that makes decentralized distribution more attractive can lead to…

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Disruptive Technology Opportunities

The emerging technologies outlined in Examples of Disruptive Technologies that Could Transform Infrastructure and Appendix A have the potential to integrate material, machine, and digital…

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Infrastructure PPPs Impacted by Disruptive Technology

How Are Infrastructure PPPs Impacted by Disruptive Technology?Disruptive innovation has already impacted infrastructure projects worldwide, especially in the energy, information and communications…

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PPP Contracts in An Age of Disruption (Download PDF version)

This report examines how disruptive technologies impact public-private partnership (PPP) infrastructure; what this means for the management of existing PPP contracts; and how better partnerships can…