2.2 To manage effectively a long term PFI contract authorities will need staff with the following skills: a thorough understanding of the project; familiarity with the contractual terms and how they are supposed to operate; good communication skills; and good relationship skills.
2.3 Authorities will need to give careful thought while the project is being developed about the staff they will deploy to manage the contract after it has been let and the skills those staff will require. Where possible, it will be advantageous to have staff continuity between contract procurement and contract management although this may often be difficult to achieve in practice.
2.4 The skills required will differ during the two distinct phases of the project after contract letting: design and build, and the provision of services. The authority may also find that it needs to employ more staff during the early stages of the project when problems are more likely to occur.
2.5 The project manager needs to have clear delegated authority and be supported by other staff with the necessary skills to manage the relationship. The number of such staff will depend on the size of the deal. In addition, the authority may choose to establish a distinct contract management unit responsible for all of its PFI contracts.