Will PPP survive the credit crunch?

Today, governments are confronted with increasing budget deficits. While governments have less money available big investments in infrastructure are planned to stimulate economic growth. As a reaction, private investments are needed to meet the growing demand for infrastructure. Third party investors and banks are, however, reluctant to invest or finance large projects. Many fear that the credit crisis and its impact on public financing of PPP deals will have a large impact on ambitious regeneration, health, school and infrastructure programs of both national and local authorities

Denk vooruit maar plan met mate

Optimale interventieplanning bij het wegennet vraagt om een integraal beslissingsproces. Allerlei soorten beslissingen en diverse soorten informatie komen aan het begin van de besluitvorming bij elkaar. Toch is niet alles te plannen

Formal and informal contracting processes in the competitive dialogue procedure:A multiple case-study

The competitive dialogue (CD) procedure aims to align the complex demands of principals with possible solutions that contractors have to offer. It is, however, unclear how formal and informal structures and processes in the CD are interrelated and how they determine its effectiveness. The major question in this study is how informal and formal contracting processes differ between projects procured through the CD and comparable projects that are traditionally procured. In a theoretical framework, it is shown that both the negotiations and the commitment stages consist of a formal part (formal bargaining/formal legal contract) and an informal part (informal sense-making/informal psychological contract), and that these dynamically interact as problems of understanding are identified and resolved. These elements and their interactions are studied in four comparable construction projects. The results of this multiple-case study show that commitments and negotiations can substitute for one another, whereas the formal and informal processes within these stages are complementary. Problems of understanding are key in the development of both formal and informal contract

Applying the lessons of strategic urban planning learned in the developing world to the Netherlands: a case study of three industrial area development projects

Worldwide there is an increasing interest in strategic urban planning. Strategic urban planning is a way of urban planning that is based on strategic planning principles common in the business sector. The need for strategic urban planning is recognized and acknowledged in developing countries, but barely in European countries. This article explains the reasons for this lack of recognition by comparing the possibilities for strategic urban planning in developing countries to a European country: the Netherlands. The major similarity found is that current institutional characteristics in both developed and developing countries still limit the possibilities for strategic urban planning. Institutional change is a prerequisite for successful strategic urban planning, but very difficult to attain as indicated in various cases in developing countries too. The major difference is related to the cultural aspect of urban planning. In the Netherlands, and in many other European countries too, it is broadly accepted and considered legitimate that governments have a chief coordinating role. It is common that they develop for the stakeholders instead of with the stakeholders. This differs from developing countries where stakeholder participation and joint development are considered crucial to develop sustainable planning solutions. Based on these findings the conclusion is that strategic urban planning has its limitations. As a method, it has much potential, but planners and academics must carefully tailor the method to the specific context where it will be applied