Robert Osei-Kyei

Implementing public–private partnership (PPP) policy for public construction projects in Ghana: critical success factors and policy implications

Public–private partnership (PPP) is considered an innovative procurement approach which offers good prospects for the future of the global construction industry. However, since the introduction of PPP in the Ghanaian construction industry (GCI) in 2004, the factors contributing to its successful implementation have not yet been fully explored. This has made many local practitioners very reluctant to procure construction PPP projects. This paper aims to explore the critical success factors (CSFs) for construction PPPs in Ghana by reviewing and analysing two successful PPP projects: the Kojokrom Market Development Project and the Asutsuare Water Treatment Plant Project. The analysis reveals five CSFs for construction PPP projects in Ghana; these are: government commitment and support, strong community support and relationship, openness and constant communication, project profitability and capable private partner. The experiences in the case studies are further compared with global experience. Practical and management implications are provided to facilitate the implementation of PPP policy in GCI. It is expected that the research outputs would inform policy makers and local practitioners on the appropriate measures to adopt when engaging in future projects. Future research should adopt empirical surveys to make objective generalization and comparison with other countries.

Implementation constraints in public-private partnership: Empirical comparison between developing and developed economies/countries

Purpose This paper aims to empirically investigate the differences and similarities on the implementation constraints in public–private partnership (PPP) in developing and developed economies/countries, represented by Ghana and Hong Kong, respectively. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was conducted with relevant experienced PPP practitioners in Ghana and Hong Kong. One hundred and three completed questionnaires were received for analysis. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance analysis, mean score ranking, Mann–Whitney U test and quartile grouping were used for data analysis. Findings The results show six implementation constraints with significant differences. Constraints related to the general investment climate of PPP projects (i.e. ecological conditions of PPP) are ranked higher in Ghana than in Hong Kong, whereas constraints related to the organisation and negotiations of PPP projects are higher in Hong Kong than in Ghana. Further, two constraints, lengthy delay in finalising negotiations and lengthy delay due to political debate, are very critical in both jurisdictions, whereas “negative public perceptions on PPP transactions” and “high use of unsolicited proposals” are of less challenge in the implementation of PPP in both jurisdictions. Originality/value The findings of this study contribute to knowledge on the international best practices of PPP. In addition, international private bidders would be informed of the mitigation measures to adopt when engaging in PPP arrangements in any part of the world, whether in a developing or developed economy country.

Critical success criteria for public-private partnership projects : international experts' opinion

Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects success is the ultimate goal of practitioners and government organizations. In this regard, the last decade has seen considerable research into the critical success factors (CSFs) for PPP projects. However, a very important subject which has received very little attention in the normative literature is the success criteria for PPP projects. This paper examines the general perception of purposively sampled international PPP experts on a set of 15 PPP projects success criteria derived from literature. The survey results show that all the success criteria are critical; however seven are very critical. These include: effective risk management; meeting output specifications; reliable and quality service operations; adherence to time; satisfying the need for public facility/service; long-term relationship and partnership; and profitability. The findings of this study are impactful because they inform practitioners on the key measures to consider when evaluating the success of PPP projects. More research should be conducted to further develop a composite success index that could be used to objectively assess the success levels of different PPP projects. In addition, the perceptions of different stakeholders on PPP projects success criteria and the causal relationship between CSFs and success criteria for PPP projects should be investigated.

Perceptions of stakeholders on the critical success factors for operational management of public-private partnership projects

Purpose This paper aims to explore the perceptual differences on the factors that contribute to the successful management of public-private partnership (PPP) projects at the operational stage among stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach An international questionnaire survey was conducted with purposively sampled PPP experts from the private, public and academic sectors. Survey responses were analyzed using Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (W), mean score ranking analysis, Kruskal–Wallis test and Mann–Whitney U test. Findings The research findings show that each stakeholder group considers an efficient and well-structured payment mechanism as the most important operational management critical success factor (CSF). Moreover, the public sector considers open and constant communication among stakeholders as the second most important CSF, whereas the private and academic sectors consider effective operational risk management and well-structured legal dispute resolution mechanism, respectively. Further analysis using non-parametric tests (i.e. Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U statistics) reveal significant differences in the importance of three operational management CSFs – “open and constant communication among stakeholders”, “effective changes of shareholdings in private consortium” and “stable macroeconomic indicators”. Research limitations/implications The generalizability of the research findings is limited considering the low sample size and non-participation of users/general public in the study. Hence, it is recommended that future research should be conducted in a specific country using both face-to-face and email questionnaire distribution approaches. This would likely increase the response rate and facilitate the inclusion of the general public/users. Originality/value The results of this study highlight and provide significant insights into how different PPP stakeholders perceive the critical conditions that are required to ensure the operational efficiency of PPP projects. This would, therefore, enable a better cooperation and collective effort from all stakeholders towards achieving the overall project success. In addition, the study offers new and additional CSFs which would enhance the comprehensiveness of the existing list of CSFs for the general implementation of PPP projects.

Developing a Project Success Index for Public–Private Partnership Projects in Developing Countries

AbstractIn recent years, public–private partnership (PPP) projects’ success has become an important issue for both practice and research because of the growing number of developing countries adopti...

Risk assessment in public-private partnership infrastructure projects: Empirical comparison between Ghana and Hong Kong

The purpose of this paper is to empirically compare the risk factors in public-private partnership (PPP) projects in developing and developed countries, represented by Ghana and Hong Kong, respectively.,A structured questionnaire survey was conducted with PPP practitioners in Ghana and Hong Kong. In total, 103 valid responses were received for analysis. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance and mean ranking were used for data analysis.,The results show that respondents from Ghana ranked country risk factors higher, whereas their Hong Kong counterparts ranked project-specific risks higher. The top five significant risks in Ghana are corruption, inflation rate fluctuation, exchange rate fluctuation, delay in project completion and interest rate fluctuation. In Hong Kong, the top five significant risk factors are delay in land acquisition, operational cost overruns, construction cost overruns, delay in project completion and political interference.,The results of the study inform international investors of the appropriate risk mitigation measures and preventive actions to use when engaging in PPP arrangements in any part of the world. Further, governments who are yet to use the PPP concept would be informed of the prevailing risk factors in other neighbouring countries (i.e. developing or developed countries).

Comparative Analysis of the Success Criteria for Public–Private Partnership Projects in Ghana and Hong Kong

The criteria for measuring the success of public–private partnership (PPP) projects have become very topical because of the global interest in PPP project success. This article empirically investigates the differences and similarities of PPP project success criteria in developing and developed economies, represented by Ghana and Hong Kong, respectively. Results reveal profitability, meeting output specifications, and adherence to budget as the top three success criteria in Ghana, whereas adherence to budget, adherence to time, and effective risk management are considered more important in Hong Kong. The findings inform practitioners of the success measures considered in PPP in developing and developed countries.

Factors attracting private sector investments in public–private partnerships in developing countries: A survey of international experts

The increasing demand for public infrastructure has caused a rise in the global adoption of the public–private partnership (PPP) concept. However, over the past years, most of the developing countries have failed to attract more private investments as realised in the developed countries. This paper aims to investigate the critical factors that attract private investments in the PPP markets of developing countries.,An empirical questionnaire survey was conducted with targeted international PPP experts from the academic and industrial sectors. The inter-rater agreement analysis, mean score ranking and Mann–Whitney U test were used to analyse the survey responses.,Results indicate that the three most critical factors are political support and acceptability for PPPs, government positive attitude towards private sector investments and political stability. On the other hand, factors including government guarantees, competent PPP unit and tax rebate on imported equipment are of low importance. The Mann–Whitney U test reveals that experts from the academic and industrial sectors view the importance of three factors differently: adequate public sector experience in PPP, government providing guarantees and government providing tax rebate on imported equipment.,The research outputs contribute to the existing but limited knowledge on PPP practices in developing countries by providing empirical evidence and cross-cultural perceptions on the conditions that are critical to the expansion of PPP markets in developing countries. It is therefore expected that governments and policymakers seeking to adopt the PPP concept would take into consideration the results and implications to enhance PPP growth.

A fuzzy synthetic evaluation analysis of operational management critical success factors for public-private partnership infrastructure projects

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the factor groupings of a set of 19 critical success factors (CSFs) associated with managing public-private partnership (PPP) projects at the operational stage and examine the most significant factor grouping using fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE) technique. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopted a comprehensive review of the pertinent literature and an empirical questionnaire survey geared towards targeted international PPP experts. Survey responses were analysed using factor analysis and FSE modelling. Findings The results from factor analysis show five CSF groupings (CSFGs) for managing operational PPPs. These are proficient service delivery and adequate legal structures, simplified payment mechanism and consistent project monitoring, effective contract variations management, suitable stakeholder management mechanism and environmental health and safety control. The FSE modelling shows that “simplified payment mechanism and consistent project monitoring”, is the most critical CSFG. The operational management CSFs under this grouping are acceptable level of user fee charges, efficient and well-structured payment mechanism, consistent project performance monitoring and long-term demand for public facility. Research limitations/implications The major limitation lies in the low sample size that was used for analysis; however the years of research and/or industrial experience of respondents and the wide coverage of different cultural backgrounds (18 countries from five regions globally) contribute to the authenticity of the survey responses. Future research should adopt interviews and case study analysis to unravel CSFs in managing operational PPPs. Originality/value The findings of this study are considerably beneficial to both public authorities and private operators. They inform practitioners of the strategic procedures and measures to employ in optimising the operational performance of PPP projects. Further, the methodology employed allows project management experts to reliably select the operational management CSFs for their projects.

Public sector’s perspective on implementing public – private partnership (PPP) policy in Ghana and Hong Kong

The public sector plays a critical role in the successful implementation of public–private partnership (PPP) projects. Thus, there is a need to holistically explore the public sector’s view on the implementation practices of PPP. This paper aims to explore and compare the public sector’s views on PPP practices in Ghana and Hong Kong.,Semi-structured interviews were conducted with PPP practitioners of senior authority in public institutions in both Ghana and Hong Kong. The interviews covered critical issues of PPP implementation practices such as motivations for engaging in PPP, success criteria/indicators, critical success factors (CSFs), external stakeholder management and training and education in PPPs.,The findings show that quick delivery of public projects and private sector efficiency are the reasons considered by both groups of interviewees. On the success criteria, interviewees from both jurisdictions mentioned user satisfaction, budget, time and quality. The CSFs mentioned by both groups include capacity building and training, project viability, proper planning and good feasibility studies. Sensitization programs, including open forums and community meetings, were mentioned by both groups as measures for managing external stakeholders. On the training and education, both groups mentioned international study tours and organizing courses and seminars.,The outputs of this study offer strategies that are very useful to international private developers who are interested in PPP practices in Africa and Asia. Further, the findings contribute to the knowledge on the international best practices for PPP.