The Guide is primarily intended for public sector officials from EU Member States who are in charge of PPP projects and have knowledge of and experience in conventional public procurement but are not familiar with PPP arrangements. Users may find themselves at different stages of decision-making in the PPP project cycle. For instance:
• A project proposal has been identified and initial pre-feasibility studies have been completed. The Authority is considering whether to follow the PPP route and needs to compare the PPP option against other available procurement strategies. The Guide suggests a number of sources of information to help the Authorities undertake the necessary analysis to evaluate whether a PPP should be the preferred procurement option.
• An Authority is committed to develop a project with a PPP arrangement but the public officials in charge of defining the project strategy have not been previously involved in or have little experience of PPP procurement methods. They need to understand, among other things, what to expect in terms of how to seek expert advice, the steps required in the PPP project cycle and how to engage with the private sector The Guide provides a "road map" of all the steps that need to be taken in the procurement phase of the PPP project cycle.
• A PPP project is already under implementation and the PPP Company proposes changes to the PPP contract, which may impact its financial balance and the value for money rationale of the existing PPP arrangement. The public sector officials in charge need to understand the impact of the proposed changes and what information to request from their advisers to be able to negotiate with the PPP Company in order to maintain value for money in the contract. The Guide covers the key issues that the Authority needs to consider when renegotiating a PPP contract.