Improving the delivery of PPP housing projects in developing countries

The supply of adequate and affordable houses is still a big challenge in many developing countries. Governments have sought to use different housing strategies, such as public private partnerships (PPPs), to solve these urban housing problems, but with limited success. The aim of this study is, firstly, to examine the challenges affecting the delivery of HPPP projects in developing countries and, secondly, to propose a PPP conceptual model to address the identified challenges. A mixed-methods approach was used to collect data from various stakeholders involved with housing public private partnership (HPPP) projects. Purposive sampling was used to select the targeted respondents. The quantitative data were analysed through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 22.0) whereas the qualitative data were analysed by content analysis. This study identified several challenges hindering the success of HPPP projects with the highest ranked challenge found to be: inadequate PPP skills and knowledge. Results demonstrate that PPP can be adopted as an alternative approach; however; the identified challenges need to be addressed for a successful outcome to be achieved. The key contributions to knowledge include: bridging the literature gap as this study is the first that identifies and ranks the HPPP challenges within the developing country context. Additionally, a conceptual model has been developed by adopting (and modifying as appropriate) success factors from international best practice. It is anticipated that the proposed conceptual model, validated by PPP experts, will provide a valuable road map for the successful delivery of HPPP projects in developing countries

A Scientometric Analysis of Research in Responsible Sourcing in the Construction Industry

There is currently a drive towards sustainable buildings world-over. Considering the definition of sustainability, sustainable buildings need to demonstrate their performance in respect of environmental, ethical, social, and economic perspectives. One of the challenges for sustainable buildings is to demonstrate to all interested parties that the products and materials contained in any construction phase have been sourced responsibly. Issues concerning the welfare of workers, health and safety practices and environmental sustainability in the upstream supply chains, have brought the question of responsible sourcing to the fore. While other industries such as retail and food have embraced responsible sourcing, this has been slow in the construction industry. Responsible sourcing requires that companies take into account a triad of environmental, economic and social sustainability when managing relationships with suppliers. Although there have been studies on responsible sourcing in the construction industry, there is a limited review that evaluates the current state of research on this subject. The objective of this paper is therefore to undertake a comprehensive literature review of research papers relating to responsible sourcing in the construction industry using bibliometric analysis. While the focus of the analysis is on the main research areas, issues such as timeline trends, authorship, research outlets and research topics are explored. The results of the analysis provide a domain knowledge map of research on responsible sourcing in the construction industry and the identification of knowledge gaps for future research

Exploring constraining factors for use of private sector finance in delivery of public sector infrastructure in Tanzania: A qualitative study

While governments remain accountable for the delivery of infrastructure services, given the paucity of public resources, studies have recommended the use of private sector finance (PSF) as an alternative approach to delivering sustainable infrastructure both in developed and developing economies. Despite the recommendation, there has been very little use of PSF in delivering public projects, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this study explores the constraining factors for the use of PSF in the delivery of public infrastructure in Tanzania and proposes recommendations. A total of 10 semi-structured interviews were conducted with different stakeholders delivering public infrastructure services. Interviewees were purposefully selected. Data were analyzed through conceptual content analysis. The findings reveal that the top five constraining factors were inadequate knowledge and skills, lack of policy to support or suffice PSF, bureaucracy or delays of approvals, lack of proper models for PSF, and lack of skilled people or existence of a big national skill gap. Thus, the identified constraints provided useful insights and were used as a road map for suggesting appropriate solutions to enhance the use of PSF. Furthermore, this is the first study to empirically explore the constraining factors for PSF in delivering infrastructure projects in the Tanzanian context

Prevalence of high blood pressure and associated factors among adolescents and young people in Tanzania and Uganda.

We conducted a cross-sectional study among school/college students in Tanzania and Uganda to determine the prevalence of high blood pressure (BP) and associated factors. Participants were classified to have high BP if they had pre-hypertension or hypertension. Interviews were done using the WHO STEPS instrument. Using data from both countries (n = 1596), the overall prevalence of high BP was 40% (95% CI: 37-42). The prevalence of pre-hypertension was 29% (95% CI: 26-31) and that of hypertension was 11% (95% CI: 10-13). High BP was independently associated with obesity (aOR = 6.7, 95% CI: 2.2-20.0), male sex (aOR = 3.2, 95% CI: 2.4-4.4), and among males aged above 20 years (aOR = 5.5, 95% CI: 2.9-10.5). Consumption of fruits/vegetables was associated with decreased odds for high BP (aOR = 0.7, 95% CI: 0.50-0.98). The increasing burden of pre-hypertension across age groups could explain the early onset of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) among young African adults. There is a need for longitudinal studies to explore the drivers of pre-hypertension in East African adolescents

Exploring constraining factors for use of private sector finance in delivery of public sector infrastructure in Tanzania: A qualitative study

While governments remain accountable for the delivery of infrastructure services, given the paucity of public resources, studies have recommended the use of private sector finance (PSF) as an alternative approach to delivering sustainable infrastructure both in developed and developing economies. Despite the recommendation, there has been very little use of PSF in delivering public projects, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this study explores the constraining factors for the use of PSF in the delivery of public infrastructure in Tanzania and proposes recommendations. A total of 10 semi-structured interviews were conducted with different stakeholders delivering public infrastructure services. Interviewees were purposefully selected. Data were analyzed through conceptual content analysis. The findings reveal that the top five constraining factors were inadequate knowledge and skills, lack of policy to support or suffice PSF, bureaucracy or delays of approvals, lack of proper models for PSF, and lack of skilled people or existence of a big national skill gap. Thus, the identified constraints provided useful insights and were used as a road map for suggesting appropriate solutions to enhance the use of PSF. Furthermore, this is the first study to empirically explore the constraining factors for PSF in delivering infrastructure projects in the Tanzanian context

Identifying Project Management Practices and Principles for Public–Private Partnerships in Housing Projects: The Case of Tanzania

Despite the advocated benefits of Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) such as alleviating the housing problems within the developing countries, the PPP implementation process is fraught with several challenges; including project management (PM) related ones. Tanzania, like many developing countries, has higher PPP projects termination rates in comparison to the global average. This suggests a lack of effective PM practices and principles integration. To bridge that knowledge gap, this study applies the theoretical lenses of innovation diffusion theory (IDT) to identify the extent of integration of PM practices and principles during the implementation of PPPs in Tanzanian housing projects. A qualitative approach comprising 10 semi-structured interviews was conducted among PPP practitioners. Directed content analysis was employed for the analysis. Based on frequency of citations, 14 PPPs sustainable PM practices and principles for PPPs implementation are identified. The three most relevant practices and principles were: official and unofficial site visits, documenting the inspections, and site meetings. Assessing the actual work done against the schedule of works was identified as the prevalent project performance of PPP. The results are expected to further nurture an improved appreciation of the best integration PM practices and principles associated with successfully implementing PPPs in housing projects

Critical factors influencing the bid or no-bid decision of the indigenous small building contractors in Tanzania

Purpose –This study investigates and ranks the critical factors influencing the bid or no-bid decision and their importance for indigenous small building contractors within the Tanzanian construction industry. Design/methodology/approach – An interpretivist epistemological design was adapted to extensively manually review and search extant literature on bid or no bid decision making criteria. A total of 30 most common bid/no bid decision making criteria were identified. These were included in a questionnaire survey data collection instrument. The survey was distributed to 40 small indigenous building contractors in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. 33 responses were received. Response data was subjected to both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings – Results show a disparity of ranking of the 30 bid or no-bid criteria factors among the two grades of small contractors, with 11 factors having statistically significant differences (p = < 0.05). Based on the overall sample, the most highly ranked seven factors in ascending order were: 1) availability of capital; 2) financial capacity of the client; 3) project size; 4) profitability; 5) project type; 6) need of work; and 7) current workload. The following were the least ranked: tax liability; degree of safety; availability of other projects; availability of labor; bidding document price; and uncertainty due to weather conditions. Availability of capital and financial capacity of the client were jointly ranked as the most important by class VI contractors. In comparison, availability of capital and need of work were rated highly for Class VII contractors. Research limitations / implications - The sample consisted of indigenous small building contractors in one industry operating in Tanzania only, and did not include the perceptions of the foreign contractors based in Dar es Salaam. Future studies are required to expand the current research and investigate this specific aspect further. Practical implications - The identified ‘bid or no-bid criteria’ information will allow indigenous small building contractors to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their bidding decision making process. Emergent findings will enable said contractors to: better fit into the competitive construction business environment; increase their awareness of existing decision-making practices; and develop appropriate strategies for evaluation of opportunities encountered. Cumulatively, these findings benefit small indigenous building contractors by increasing their understanding of the factors influencing bid decision. Originality/value – The study represents the first empirical study in Tanzania on the critical factors influencing the bid or no-bid decision among the indigenous small building contractors, which face fierce competition from foreign contractors