■ VfM definitions and the value proposition in the business case are the responsibility of the Owner, not of the alliance which has been engaged to deliver the capital asset component of the business case at the lowest price.
■ The role of the Owner needs to be distinguished from the Owner's representative on the alliance, who only has responsibility for delivery and has no authority to change the business case.
■ PPPs provide the greatest cost certainty at business case stage (an increase of 5-10% to AOC), followed by traditional ( ≈ 20%) and then alliances (≈ 50%).
■ The business case cost estimate must be considerably improved to better inform the capital investment decision. Alternatively, the business case should include explicit advice to investment decision makers regarding the risk of potential increases.
■ Fast track processes need to be developed where time of commencement is of the essence and decision makers need to be alerted to the significant price premium that may be associated with fast tracking.