Junxiao Liu

Life cycle critical success factors for public-private partnership infrastructure projects

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have been widely used in the procurement of economic and social infrastructure projects. Since the operation of more and more PPP projects, there have been a number of explorations on the factors that contribute to their success. Project success is often expressed by the quality of the product and project management success. Bearing in mind these perspectives, the critical success factors (CSFs) of PPP infrastructure projects under the auspices of the project management success perspective are identified and examined. A life-cycle CSF framework with embedded “learning mechanisms” is developed. The proposed framework will enable public and private sector stakeholders to possess an ameliorated understanding of the factors that are critical to successfully implementing a PPP contract strategy.

Conceptual framework for the performance measurement of public-private partnerships

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have been used widely to deliver economic and social infrastructure projects. There has been widespread debate about the factors that contribute to their success and failure. Critical to their successful implementation is effective performance measurement of the projects. With this in mind, a comprehensive review of the normative literature in association with PPPs (e.g., critical success factors, roles of public sector, concessionaire selection, risk management, cost and time issues, and finance) is undertaken and a conceptual framework for dynamic life-cycle is proposed. The paper provides both public sector and private entities with an insight into effective and efficient performance measurement within the context of PPP infrastructure projects.

Public-Private Partnerships: a review of theory and practice of performance measurement

Purpose - – This paper reviews the normative literature of performance measurement within the context of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of current ex post evaluations of PPPs and identify a feasible direction to comprehensively and effectively measure the performance of PPP infrastructure projects. Design/methodology/approach - – An in-depth literature review is conducted in this paper. The focus of the review is associated with the general performance measurement and performance measurements of PPPs. Findings - – This paper identifies that conventional ex post evaluation is not robust enough to measure the performance of PPP projects. Based on the characteristics of PPPs, the life-cycle (process-based) evaluation under performance measurement system is a promising approach to comprehensive and effective PPP performance measurement. Practical implications - – The outcomes of this paper can be used as a theoretical base for the development of PPP performance measurement framework. Originality/value - – Performance measurement is essential to business success, whether it is at the organisation or project level. Limitations on public funds have encouraged more and more governments across the world to use PPPs to procure economic and social infrastructure projects. Similar to traditional procurement,

Ex-ante evaluation of public-private partnerships: Macroeconomic analysis

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are currently a popular approach for governments to procure social and economic infrastructure. The macroeconomic environment plays a critical role and influences the factors that can lead to the successful delivery of a PPP project. Despite the importance of the macroeconomic environment, limited attention has been paid to ex-ante (that is, before the event, or forecast) evaluation. A review of the normative literature was undertaken, aiming to derive key performance indicators (KPIs) of PPP success. The KPIs were validated by using a vector error correction model. It is suggested that the developed KPIs can be used to evaluate the suitability of the macroeconomic conditions in which a PPP project will be implemented. These KPIs can provide governments and stakeholders with a platform to conduct an effective ex-ante evaluation of PPP projects that will be significant in policy and decision making.

Cost performance of public infrastructure projects: The nemesis and nirvana of change-orders

Abstract The cost performance of a wide range of public sector infrastructure projects completed by a contractor are analysed and discussed. Change-orders after a contract to construct an asset was signed were, on average, found to contribute to a 23.75% increase in project costs. A positive association between an increase in change orders and the contractor’s margin were identified. Taxpayers pay for this additional cost, while those charged with constructing assets are rewarded with an increase in their margins. As the public sector embraces an era of digitisation, there is a need to improve the integration of design and construction activities and engender collaboration to ensure assets can be delivered cost effectively and future-proofed. The research paper provides empirical evidence for the public sector to re-consider the processes that are used to deliver their infrastructure assets so as to reduce the propensity for cost overruns and enable future-proofing to occur.

PPP social infrastructure procurement: Examining the feasibility of a life-cycle performance measurement framework

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have been extensively used to deliver an array of infrastructure projects in Australia; they have become an integral part of several state governments’ procurement strategies. Over the last decade, however, several major PPP projects have incurred significant cost and schedule overruns, which have marred their use as a mechanism for delivering much-needed infrastructure. The paucity of performance measurement frameworks has contributed to the difficulty of proactively managing the effective and efficient delivery of PPPs, particularly during operations and maintenance. With this in mind, a lifecycle and stakeholder-oriented performance measurement framework (PMF) is conceptualized within the context of social infrastructure PPPs. The opinions of 160 practitioners about the proposed measures and their core indicators were solicited using a questionnaire survey. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the significance of proposed measures and their relevant core indicators (CIs) for measuring the performance of PPP projects throughout their lifecycle. The analysis reveals that the proposed PMF is a reliable and robust tool that can be used to assist with ensuring that social infrastructure PPPs can be delivered successfully throughout each phase of their lifecycle. The developed PMF provides governments and private consortiums with a robust and practical tool to measure and control the performance of their future projects.

Review of performance measurement: Implications for public–private partnerships

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the normative literature in regard to public-private partnerships (PPPs) and their evaluations, and attempts to investigate whether the Performance Prism is a feasible framework for effective PPP performance measurement. Design/methodology/approach – An in-depth and critical literature review is conducted in this study. Discussion concentrates on PPP features, performance measurement in PPPs, performance measurement in construction, and characteristics of the Performance Prism. Findings – The Performance Prism exhibits a strong ability to capture the distinct features of PPP infrastructure projects and can be considered as a framework suitable for effective and efficient performance measurement. Practical implications – It is essential that stakeholders have a feasible performance measurement framework to effectively measure performance as they embark on PPP infrastructure projects. This paper can be used as a theoretical base and conceptual framework capab...