1.12 Under PFI, the consortium is obliged to maintain the building to agreed standards throughout the life of the contract, and failure to do so can result in payment deductions. This incentivises the consortium to integrate input from its design and facilities management elements into the construction process.
1.13 The consortium considers the whole life cost of the asset, which can lead to higher construction standards in order to reduce the need for longer term maintenance throughout the contract. Higher standards may initially cost the consortium more to construct the building, but will reduce the maintenance costs over the life of the contract. This also reduces the risk of payment deductions due to unsatisfactory service through maintenance failures.