Public-private partnerships: Critical success factors for procurements of capital projects

The study examines the Critical Success Factors in Public-Private Partnerships (P-P-P) for procurement of capital projects. It identifies factors contributing to the successful procurement of capital projects which is seen as one of the many management practices that contribute to corporate success. The mixed method research comprising qualitative and quantitative survey was used. A case study of the Sea-to-Sky project in British Columbia Canada formed the basis of the study with pre-interviews and post interviews with management of the Sea-to-Sky project. Out of a pool of 705 experts comprising owner, project managers, consultants/contractors, financiers, and operators world-wide, 140 agreed to participate in the survey. Ninety-three participants responded to the survey invitation for a response rate of 70.0%. A model based on the Analytical Hierarchy Process was developed to investigate the Critical Success Factors. A pair-wise comparison was performed on 47 success factors to determine the Critical Success Factors. The top 10 factors that were deduced from the success factors and considered Critical Success Factors are owner satisfaction with the delivered project, clearly defined project mission, objective and scope definitions, adequacy of plans and specifications, lack of legal encumbrances, appropriate funding mechanisms, adequate planning and control techniques, experience of contractor/consultant's team in P-P-P, adherence to schedules/budget/quality/safety/environmental controls, project manager's commitment to establish budget and schedule and effective communication throughout the project. The findings provide those involved in policy development for P-P-P a high level focus on how to ensure successful competitive performance of their organizations.