Executive Summary

A number of themes arise from this year's survey. Once again, strong relationships are crucial to the profitability of contracts with new innovations and benchmarking starting to provide benefits to both the private and public sector.

There are still issues with contract accuracy and wording, but as well as needing to be tighter and easier to read they must give flexibility to the private sector to consistently "over deliver". Comment is also provided on soft services within health and education; a debate that is currently ongoing within the PFI marketplace.

Perennial issues such as the need for greater partnership and balanced responsibility, and future concerns such as cost control and costs of new regulations are also listed.