Cost and Time Savings

Current data indicate that PPPs often can result in significant project cost and time savings compared to traditional procurement. Causes can include direct incentives to the private contractor for on-time delivery; use of warranties (see Glossary) or performance-based contracting; competition among bidders; transfer of risk to the private sector for cost and schedule overruns or revenue shortfalls; and lifecycle efficiencies (see below).35 Some private contractors, however, may lower their costs by cutting staff, hiring non-union employees, or reducing pay and benefits, which could raise labor-related concerns (see Labor Concerns on pages 12 to 13).