1.2 Authorities and contractors will achieve a successful partnership where they each meet their respective objectives over the life of the project. For authorities, a PFI project can be described as successful if it delivers value for money in the form of cost effective, reliable and timely services at agreed prices and to agreed quality, as defined in the contract. Authorities also expect the service to be delivered consistent with legal standards, financial probity and management accountability. A contractor will view a PFI deal as successful if it delivers the authority's requirements whilst yielding a reasonable return.
1.3 Both parties to the contract need to understand their respective objectives as barriers of mistrust and suspicion can adversely affect the relationship between the public and private sectors. If authorities and contractors see their relationship as adversarial this is unlikely to lead to a successful outcome. To build a successful relationship the public and private sectors need to adopt a flexible and co-operative approach where they understand each other's objectives, concentrate on establishing common ground, and see each other as partners with a single business focus.