8. In response to the growing number of operational projects and the research showing that authorities would benefit from the support, the Treasury formed in 2006 an operational taskforce staffed by Partnerships UK. The taskforce is available to respond to requests for advice on operational issues with a specific helpdesk facility. The taskforce is also developing specific guidance for the public sector in issues key to operational projects and in November 2006 published guidance on benchmarking and market testing.
9. We will be reporting on the early experience of projects with benchmarking and market testing arrangements in a report we expect to publish by mid-2007. This will provide the Committee with an early opportunity to consider the role that benchmarking and market testing plays in PFI projects. Departments and their PFI project teams are now able to draw on the new guidance and further support from the Treasury's operational taskforce when using these processes. The Treasury consulted the NAO in preparing the guidance and, as part of this consultation, we shared with the Treasury the results of the fieldwork which we had been carrying out.
10. In collaboration with OGC, the taskforce is expanding the Gateway review process to incorporate operational reviews of PFI projects. This involves detailed discussions with both public and private sector partners involved in projects, with the primary aim of providing forward looking advice to project teams to improve performance. In 2006 the taskforce ran seminars for projects in a number of locations and plans to provide other training events for PFI contract management staff.