Building on the assets of potential partners

Explore the attributes and roles of actors in the partnership

•  the municipality

•  international private sector

•  national private sector

•  small-scale providers

•  NGOs

•  CBOs

Identify potential roles and contribution of external actors

•  donors and international funding agencies

•  specialist consultants

Develop appreciation of the different characteristics that partners bring to the partnership

•  complementary skills and competencies

•  conflicting attitudes and approaches

Design mechanisms for partnering, i.e. for promoting effective interaction, e.g.

•  creating a learning approach

•  ensuring adequate preparation

•  establishing clarity of and commitment to roles

•  reviewing and monitoring partner performance

•  building on assets and differences

Focusing the scope and content of partnership arrangements

Consider the scope and content of the partnership framework in terms of municipal objectives

•  identify key components that respond to objectives

•  include these aspects in the partnership framework

Address physical objectives, e.g.

•  service coverage

•  service options

•  service quality

Address social and political objectives, e.g.

•  equity and access to improved services

•  integrating service delivery

•  gender targeting of services

•  fair treatment of workers (municipal workers and informal serrvice providers)

•  community participation and capacity building

Address financial and economic objectives, e.g.

•  attracting private capital

•  ensuring effective risk management

•  establishing financial incentives

•  establishing appropriate cost recovery policy and implementation

Address institutional objectives, e.g.

•  skills transfer

•  technology transfer

•  capacity building

•  decision-making structure

Establishing appropriate organisational and contractual arrangements

Consider factors affecting the way the partnership should be structured

•  the degree of influence required by the municipality

•  the relationships between actors

•  the bundling and unbundling of service functions

Identify the key factors affecting the procurement of large-scale operators, e.g.

•  transaction costs

•  capacity

•  information

Develop knowledge of the various models of contracting the large-scale private sector partner, and their limitations and oportunities in relation to agreed objectives

•  service contracts

•  management contracts

•  leases and affermage contracts

•  franchises

•  concessions

•  BOT contracts

Develop understanding of the key issues involved in working with small-scale providers

•  constraints to meaningful involvement

•  mechanisms to overcome barriers

Develop understanding of the key parameters concerning the role and position of NGOs

•  separate contracts

•  sub-contracts

•  contracts with community

•  consortium arrangements

Establishing sound

partnership

principles

Agree and work towards the key principles of partnerships

•  transparency and accountability

•  competition and contestability

•  legitimacy and legality

•  specificity

•  stakeholder participation

•  equity

•  clarity and predictability

•  risk management

•  economic, financial and environmental sustainability