1.  Free-standing projects

The private sector undertakes a project on the basis that costs will be recovered entirely through a charge for the services to the final user, for example the Queen Elizabeth II (Dartford) Bridge. The Government may contribute value to the project in terms of initial planning and statutory procedures, or determining the route of a linking road, etc. When the private sector is wholly responsible for a project needing Government approval, and can recoup costs through charges at the point of use, it is not necessary to compare the project with a public sector comparator (PSC). Assuming the usual planning and other necessary permissions have been obtained, the scheme can go ahead.