2.22 The aim of departments' PFI units is to ensure that authorities' project teams effectively manage their relationships so that project objectives can be attained. They seek to achieve their aims through the dissemination of guidance and through the involvement of the private sector (Figure 20). Procurement units within departments also have similar aims.
2.23 Her Majesty's Prison Service and the Highways Agency are in a good position to disseminate best practice between their project managers as they serially procure projects. In the Prison Service contract managers are co-located and it is therefore easier to discuss and resolve problems. Within the Highways Agency, regional management staff attend regular contract co-ordination group meetings where common issues are debated and policies are determined. The Agency encourages managers to discuss individual contract problems and issues within this peer group.
2.24 The National Health Service, unlike the Prison Service and the Highways Agency, does not procure projects centrally. Individual trusts procure projects and their staff will probably only undertake one major PFI transaction. Thus every new transaction has a very steep learning curve for the individual trusts concerned. The NHS Private Finance Unit feels that it can get best results from trusts through advising them and their advisers on what is acceptable within an NHS PFI project, including standard contract terms, to ensure they spend as little time as possible reinventing the wheel. The Unit will be issuing to Trusts guidance on standard payment mechanisms and output specifications. The Unit also provides input to regular meetings of PFI project managers enabling contract management and other PFI issues to be discussed.