Public Private Partnership (PPP) procurement has developed in many countries, as an
effective way for governments to allay their financial burden and/or improve the
efficiencies of public services. However, PPP has also experienced many ups and
downs in its applications. As a collaborative venture between public and private
sectors, the quality of the relationship between them has been shown to be a key
contributor to the success of a PPP project. However, no study has, as yet,
conceptualized and tested an integrative framework for modeling and addressing the
relational aspect in PPP projects. This study aims to fill this gap. Moreover, the
revamping of PPP in the above direction, would align with what is found to be a much
larger trend, in moving from traditional management to relationship approaches in
project management in general and on built infrastructure projects in particular. The
general purpose of this study is to make an original contribution to relationship
research in PPP, by addressing the importance of this intangible side of PPP, through
developing a strategic relationship management framework for parties engaged in PPP
projects.
Having examined relational research in joint ventures, alliancing and
inter-organisational collaboration, it is found that game theory, transaction cost
analysis and relational contracting have a direct bearing on inter-organisational
relationships in infrastructure projects. Consequently, they are adopted as the
theoretical foundations for this research. This study first investigates the ‘hard side’ of
PPP relationships, analyzing their variables based on semi-structured interviews with
PPP experts. Further, the ‘soft side’ of PPP relationships, is found to be influenced
mainly by inter-organisational trust and commitment. This is also investigated in this
research by intensive literature review of inter-organisational relationships. A
relational variables and indicators model for PPP projects is then developed.
Quantitative research data was collected from two questionnaire surveys, targeting
international experiences. The first survey was aimed to examine the intensifying
and/or moderating effects of various relational variables. The second survey was
designed to identify the Critical Success Factors of relationship management in PPP
context. Qualitative research data was consolidated from a case study and follow-up
structured interviews. Findings from surveys, case study and interviews were then
triangulated to develop a strategic framework for better relationship management for
infrastructure PPP projects.
The findings from this research make a specific contribution to relationship
management research; while the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ sides provide lenses for both PPP
parties to examine their relationship with their respective partners. The proposed
strategic framework consists of a Relationship Management Scheme and Guidelines
to be implemented in different PPP phases, through addressing the sustainability of
the relationship. It provides an initial scheme or base approach for project parties to
manage the relationships proactively rather than reactively. Besides, this research also
helps to identify relevant relational components that can be incorporated or directly
used in criteria for pre-tender selection. Such screening and special attention to these
critical components can also help to develop more sustainable relationships and attain
better value for money through PPP procurement in practice. / published_or_final_version / Civil Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:HKU/oai:hub.hku.hk:10722/174520 |
Date | January 2012 |
Creators | Zou, Weiwu., 邹伟武. |
Contributors | Kumaraswamy, MM |
Publisher | The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) |
Source Sets | Hong Kong University Theses |
Language | English |
Detected Language | English |
Type | PG_Thesis |
Source | http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B47849629 |
Rights | The author retains all proprietary rights, (such as patent rights) and the right to use in future works., Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License |
Relation | HKU Theses Online (HKUTO) |
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