7.1 The Government's approach to the choice of procurement option is determined by a comprehensive testing of both the potential benefits of their application, their likely value for money in particular projects, and the evidence of previous procurements. Chapter 3 explained this approach in more detail, and Chapter 4 described the evidence which backs it up. This chapter:
• explains the emphasis the Government is putting on the rigour of an unbiased value for money test, and the reforms to it proposed;
• confirms that the appraisal approach proposed taken together with the evidence collected means that PFI is expected to continue to be an important tool in key areas of the Government's investment programme;
• draws the policy conclusions from the evidence presented in Chapter 4 about the need to reassess the role of PFI in individually procured small deals and information technology (IT) projects; and
• explores the possibility that the approach laid out and the evidence about the characteristics of successful areas for PFI could lead to pilots of new applications in some limited areas.