Building and Developing Effective Public-Private Partnerships – Dubai (UAE), 4–8 Apr 2027

Introduction:

Following the 2008 financial crisis, many governments worldwide turned to the private sector to finance and implement large-scale public projects through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). The primary goal of these partnerships was to reduce initial costs. In addition to cost reduction, these partnerships led to improvements in infrastructure projects and public services.

This enabled governments to focus more on policy, planning, and regulation without worrying about operations and implementation procedures. At this Building and Developing Effective Public-Private Partnerships course, participants will gain comprehensive knowledge of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and the methods and steps to establish partnerships that benefit both sectors.

Targeted groups:

• Managers and senior professionals.
• Those interested in designing and developing Public-Private Partnership (PPP) plans.
• Executives who wish to deepen their understanding of the benefits and risks of PPPs.
• Anyone who attends this course seeks to enhance their skills and expertise.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this Building and Developing Effective Public-Private Partnerships course, participants will be able to:

• Identify the benefits and risks of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and their impact on public projects and services.
• List the different types of public-private partnerships.
• Apply strategic thinking to determine when to utilize Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).
• Develop preparatory plans for Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to increase the chances of success.
• Identify the implementation steps necessary to develop an effective Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project plan.

Targeted Competencies:

• Development of public-private partnerships.
• Strategic thinking.
• Strategic planning.
• Practical planning.
• Performance management.
• Results-oriented focus.

Course Content:

Unit 1: Overview of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs):

• Definition of PPPs.
• Drivers of PPPs.
• Objectives of partnerships.
• Benefits of PPPs.
• Risks of PPPs.
• Types of partnerships:
  • Service contracts.
  • Management contracts.
  • Lease contracts.
  • Concessions.
  • Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) models.
  • Hybrid arrangements.
  • Joint ventures.
• Key elements of an institutional framework that enable Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).
• Key issues underpinning PPP performance.

Unit 2: Structuring PPPs: Sector Diagnosis and Planning:

• Requirements and expectations.
• Technical issues.
• Legal, regulatory, and policy framework.
• Institutional structures and capacities.
• Commercial, financial, and economic issues.
• Stakeholder consultation.
• Developing a clear sector strategy and plan.
• Explicit government commitment.

Unit 3: International Examples of PPPs:

• Partnerships in the education sector.
• Partnerships in the infrastructure sector.
• Public sector reform.
• Partnerships in the migration sector.
• Partnerships in the defense sector.
• Lessons learned.

Unit 4: Preparatory Work for PPPs:

• Establishing appropriate legal, regulatory, and policy frameworks.
• Technical preparation.
• Institutional structures and capacity building.
• Establishing the PPP unit.
• Project implementation unit.
• Technical assistance.
• Commercial, financial, and economic preparation.
• Project financing.
• Tariff design.
• Tariff adjustments.
• Subsidy design.
• Operational considerations.
• Involving local partners.
• Stakeholder inclusion.

Unit 5: Implementing PPPs:

• Gathering feedback from potential bidders.
• Notification and prequalification.
• Defining the procurement process.
• Solicited proposals or direct negotiations.
• Competitive negotiations.
• Competitive bidding.
• Defining the bidding evaluation process.
• Preliminary decisions.
• Technical and financial evaluation.
• Bidding package.
• Contract.
• Negotiations and contract initiation.
• Key implementation issues.