Attracting Investors to African Public-Private Partnerships : A Project Preparation Guide

What transforms a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project from a desirable project on a government 'wish list' to an attractive investment opportunity in the eyes of a potential private sector partner? This guide seeks to enhance the chances of developing effective partnerships between the public and the private sectors by addressing one of the main obstacles to the effective delivery of PPP projects: having the right information on the right project for the right partners at the right time. This guide starts with a review of the meaning of the term PPP, which can be difficult to define (chapter two). This is followed by a look at the foundation blocks for engaging with the private sector (chapter three), an assessment of the issues relevant to project selection (chapter four), and a review of the actions involved in preparing projects for market, including how the process should be managed (chapter five). The particular issue of managing advisers is examined in chapter six, while chapter seven looks at how the public sector should interact with the private sector during the project selection and preparation phases, to ensure that decisions made during these phases are based on a realistic view of what the private sector can provide. The last two chapters look briefly at the issues of engagement with the private sector during the competitive procurement, or tender, stage (chapter eight) and after the contract has been signed (chapter nine). While contract signature is often regarded as the conclusion of the process, the true success of the project will depend on the delivery of quality services.