Of the 500 PFI contracts, that are in the operational stage, over half have a provision for periodically testing the value of certain services such as catering and cleaning. In most contracts the exercise will be undertaken every 5-7 years and the value testing could be done either by benchmarking or market testing. This report is based on an examination of the contractual provision of 34 PFI contracts to assess their expected effectiveness. In addition 11 projects that had already undertaken value testing were also examined. It was found that some of the initial cases of value testing showed value for money was being achieved but in other cases the outcome was uncertain.

Capital investment in European health systems has to take account of an array of challenges and opportunities: the demographic and epidemiological transitions associated with an ageing population; advances in medical technologies and pharmaceuticals; rising public expectations; and persistent health inequalities. This volume presents 11 case studies from across Europe and these offer a variety of perspectives on current issues relating to health capital investment and ways of trying to meet present challenges as well as those of the future. The case studies include the Orbis Medical Centre, Sittard, and the Martini Hospital, Groningen (both in the Netherlands); the St Olav's Hospital in Trondheim (Norway); the New Karolinska Solna Hospital in Stockholm (Sweden); the Coxa Hospital in Tampere (Finland); the Rhön Klinikum Group (Germany); the John Paul II Hospital in Krakow (Poland); the Alzira model in the Valencia region (Spain); regional planning in Northern Ireland and Tuscany (Italy); and the Private Finance Initiative (England).

Under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) there are now 800 contracts with private sector suppliers for services worth in total £155 billion up to 2032. To achieve value for money, all stages of a project have to be managed effectively, including in the tendering process. The Committee, in a 2003 report highlighted a number of issues regarding the PFI tendering process (HCP 764, session 2002-03, ISBN 9780215011244). This report re-examines the tendering and benchmarking in PFI, finding that the Treasury had done little to apply what it had learned from the large number of PFI deals signed; that there has been no improvement in tendering times and significant risks to value for money continue to be taken when public authorities make late changes to deals. The Committee has set out 7 conclusions and recommendations, including: that since 2004, the proportion of deals attracting only two bidders has more than doubled with the risk of no competition; one third of public sector teams made changes to PFI projects after they had selected a single, preferred bidder; benchmarking and market testing have increased prices by up to 14%; public authorities have found it difficult to find appropriate data to benchmark PFI service costs; there is evidence that public authorities, faced with price increases have had to cut back services in hospitals, including portering, to keep contracts affordable; that there is a continuing lack of PFI experience and skills within public procurement teams.

Most Ministry of Defence projects funded by PFI deals are delivered satisfactorily, on time and on budget. In six of the eight projects examined by the NAO, the Department has generally achieved value for money through effective allocation and management of risks. Failures to identify and manage risks reduced the value for money achieved from the other two projects reviewed by the NAO. Most MOD PFI projects are now providing important support to military and civilian staff. They cover a portfolio of more than 50 projects delivering a broad range of services such as equipment, buildings, training and communications. The Department has developed commercial disciplines for scrutinising the value for money of its PFI procurements and has extended these into other projects. While the MOD allocates and manages many of the project risks effectively, it does not always have the robust data necessary to understand the risks it is asking the private sector to bear. In at least seven projects, the decision to use PFI has been reversed. Overall, the PFI projects surveyed took an average of 37 months to procure compared with the PFI average across government of 34 months. And larger PFI projects with a capital value over £50 million took the MOD an average of 45 months to procure. This longer procurement time reflects the complexity and special requirements of the Department's projects, but there is scope for the Department to improve the speed at which it closes larger deals. It is seeking to do so through improvements to the oversight of its capital procurements. The NAO also highlight the risk that contractors may incorrectly report performance which would otherwise lead to payment deductions.

Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) promise much and present an exciting policy option. Yet as this Handbook reveals there is still much debate about the meaning of partnership, and the degree to which potential advantages are in fact being delivered. In this timely Handbook, leading scholars from around the world explore the challenges presented by infrastructure PPPs, and contemplate what lies ahead as governments balance the need to provide innovative new infrastructure against the requirement for good public governance. This Handbook builds on a range of exciting theoretical lenses that span several disciplinary boundaries. It presents innovative insights and informed perspectives from an international base of empirical evidence. This essential Handbook will prove an invaluable reference work for academics, advanced post-graduate students and commentators of PPPs, as well as professionals, infrastructure regulators and government policy advisors.

A contextualised study setting out the foundations of administrative law, with discussion of case law and legislation to show practical application.