ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the impact of public private partnerships (PPP) and in particular the private finance initiative (PFI) – a procurement strategy described by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors as one of the most important influences on the future of the quantity surveyor during the next decade. Successful PPPs depend upon many of the skills traditionally offered by quantity surveyors, for example, risk management, procurement advice, through-life costs advice etc. The origins, philosophy and motives behind the introduction of public private partnerships are discussed, as well as procedural and contractual aspects of PPPs, the PFI and the Public Private Partnership Programme (4Ps). This chapter will explore the claims and counter-claims put forward by all sides for PPPs, and will conclude by discussing the opportunities that PPPs/PFIs present for quantity surveyors and the trend in adoption of PPPs by other countries.
