ISLAMABAD: The public-private partnership (PPP) model is gaining momentum globally as a means of delivering infrastructure projects.

Government capabilities to prepare, procure and manage such projects are important to ensure that the expected efficiency gains are achieved, the World Bank said in a new report titled “Benchmarking PPP Procurement 2017”.

Many economies are yet to adopt broadly recognised good practices to prepare, procure, and manage PPP, according to the report.

The report flags potential improvements that can help governments fill the gap in an effort to ensure better infrastructure service delivery.

The report benchmarks government capabilities in 82 economies across four key areas: PPP preparation, PPP procurement, unsolicited proposals (USPs) and PPP contract management. Across the four areas measured, data finds that most economies fall short of recognised good practices. Project preparation and contract management are the two areas where a significant number of countries perform poorly.

The report presents an analysis of targeted elements aggregated into four areas that cover the main stages of the PPP project cycle: preparation, procurement and contract management of PPPs, and management of (USPs).

No systematic data currently exists to measure those capabilities in governments. “Benchmarking PPP Procurement 2017” is the first attempt to collect and present comparable and actionable data on PPP procurement on a large scale by providing an assessment of the regulatory frameworks and recognised practices that govern PPP procurement across 82 economies.

The 82 economies reflect a range of regulatory frameworks and institutional arrangements for PPPs. All have in place specific frameworks for regulating PPPs, with 71 per cent having either a concession or a specific PPP law – 25pc of which co-exist with a concession law.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2016