Information dissemination

4.15  Despite the fact that there are nearly 90 PPPs in India under construction and operation, there is no publicly accessible database providing even the most straightforward information on them. The database presented in Section 3 could however provide the nucleus for this. There is no organized forum for state level PPPs, or even central agencies, to share experiences, and it is difficult to compare contracts for similar services since these are not in the public domain. Improving the flow of information would help government officials planning and developing PPPs, the private sector interested in participating in PPPs, and stakeholders interested or concerned about PPPs.

4.16  One main component of an information dissemination program would be a web-based portal that would feature: a publicly-accessible national database that would contain on a project level basis information on its basic structure including sector, expected/actual contract award date, capital cost, executing government agency and private developer, and method of tender; links to websites of both Indian and foreign PPP agencies and contact information for agencies in India developing PPPs; and PPP pipelines for different states and municipalities. Sufficient resources for ongoing maintenance of the database must be provided to ensure continued relevance.

4.17  A second major component would be the development of training materials. The main target group would be project teams in contracting authorities, but training could also be targeted at more senior government officials, as well as those in other ministries, such as Finance, that interact with the contracting authorities and have an oversight role. The private sector may also benefit from such training. Substantive evaluation efforts, for example analysis of successes and failures

of individual projects, and case studies would assist in the development of training materials and help both in designing new PPPs and managing existing ones. Over time this could be broadened into the provision of data on the performance of PPPs to improve decision making on the use of PPPs versus traditional public procurement.

4.18  Finally, efforts could also be made through workshops and other information dissemination mechanisms to reach politicians, consumers and other stakeholders, so that they are better informed about the nature and structure of PPPs. This would also be helped by greater transparency including placing PPP contracts in the public domain (see Box 6). There may be concerns over disclosure. However, there is relatively little that is genuinely commercially confidential in PPP arrangements, and though these are complex documents, this does not seem to be a valid reason not to allow citizens to access them.

4.19  The public good nature of information dissemination means that it would make sense for this to be led by a unit located within a single central ministry with cross-sectoral responsibilities, such as Finance. Most of the work would be contracted out and delivered by others, including the development and maintenance of the portal and database on PPPs, and training material and case studies could be developed by a national training institute and/or think tanks, with delivery supported by a number of regional centers for PPP training. These could also undertake outreach efforts outside of the government.