Infrastructure Public-Private Partnerships

Economic development and social welfare depend on the existence of effective and efficient infrastructure systems, particularly in health, energy, transportation and water, many of which are developed and managed through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). However, empirical evidence suggests some pitfalls in the use of these PPP arrangements.

This book addresses these issues, focusing on mostly three key questions: How to improve the robustness of the decision-making process leading to the option of PPP? How to improve contract management as the longest phase of the process? How can contracts be improved to accommodate uncertainty and avoid harmful renegotiations? The authors explore the concept of flexible contracts, the uncertainty modeling for improving the robustness of the decision-making process, and develop an overall framework for effective contract management, along with a comprehensive analysis of current renegotiation patterns. The ultimate goal is to improve the contractual performance, as well as the overall infrastructure management and social welfare. ?

Carlos Oliveira Cruz, PhD in Civil Engineering, MSc in Transportation and holds a BSc in Civil Engineering. He is Assistant Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal and researcher at ICIST. He was a Visiting Scholar at the John F. Kennedy School of Government (Harvard University) in 2011. In 2005 and 2006 he served as advisor to the Portuguese Secretary of State for Transportation and between 2007 and 2009 he was a consultant in several PPP projects.

Rui Cunha Marques, PhD. MSc. BSc. Associate Professor at the Engineering and Management Department at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Technical University of Lisbon, in Portugal. Research member of the Centre for Management Studies (CEG-IST) and a Senior Research Associate of Public Utility Research Centre (PURC) at the University of Florida. His areas of interest include regulation, performance and procurement in infrastructure, particularly in public utilities and transportation. He has published several dozens of papers in international journals, and several books on regulation. He has been an international consultant on PPPs and regulation.