2.8 The benchmarking of selected services is designed to satisfy the PPP partners that the services supplied remain appropriate and are charged at an equitable rate. This is vital to both public and private sector interests. It is important to the public sector in a long-term partnership arrangement to be able to demonstrate value for money periodically as well as at the initial signing of the contract. It is important to stakeholders in the PPP contractor to also have such periodic assurances and means to check and revise as necessary service supply arrangements. It is important to sub-contractors in the successful bidding consortium to have an opportunity at appropriate intervals to re-negotiate and up-date their specification and price with the PPP contractor, and to demonstrate that they are well placed in the market to continue to provide the service. Properly managed, benchmarking / market testing processes can satisfy these interests within the PPP partnership framework. The process should result in VfM every time it is undertaken by applying the contract provisions and the practical guidance in this Briefing Note.