In alliance contracting, agencies generally agree to take uncapped project risks and share opportunities. Therefore, to protect the public interest, it is important for the agency to maintain active commercial engagement and be ready to participate in a large number of commercial decisions for the life of the alliance. It is in both the agency's and non-owner participants' interests that the owner brings appropriate commercial expertise and authority to the alliance. The process of allocating resources to establish and implement an alliance contract requires the agency to adopt a multi-disciplinary approach. For example, the agency will need to ensure that the proposed alliance contract has been fully considered from a commercial perspective, as well as from a technical perspective.
Agencies may use external advisers (contractors or consultants) and service providers to assist with planning and engaging with alliance proponents. However, it is important for public officials to ensure that they maintain the key leadership and decision-making roles for the alliance project. The agency should be conscious that suppliers, external advisers and service providers in the market may otherwise be able to shape the structure and practice of alliancing, which may not always be in either the agency's or the public's interest. Given that the agency will ultimately be accountable for protecting the public interest, public officials should take the lead in first making any recommendation to undertake a project through alliancing, and second, in deciding on the best way to structure a specific alliance to achieve the state's investment objectives.