Two challenges could impinge upon a successful transition (from project delivery to operational management) for the public partner: setbacks arising from commissioning failure and ineffective knowledge management practices prior to the operational phase. PT14, for instance, points to technical and operational commissioning failures that may result in the delay of commercial acceptance, and hence, impact on planned commencement of service delivery. RK11 states this can be particularly consequential for large and / or complex projects such as PPP hospitals due to the volume of testing (and any defect rectification) that must be undertaken:
"There can be an awful lot of commission tests - hundreds or thousands in some cases if you're dealing with a big hospital.. .[and] defects [may need to be dealt with] at the same time...Until [the facility is] properly commissioned, the state doesn't start paying so there's a hell of a lot of pressure to get the commissioning exercise done".
The loss of critical project knowledge that could occur when transitioning from commissioning to operations is identified as a key risk by RK05. In discussing this (including emphasising the importance of early transition planning), RK05 spoke about a situation that occurred in connection with the Ararat Prison project in Victoria, Australia (now known as the Hopkins Correctional Centre); although the loss of knowledge, in this case, occurred between project tendering and constructing the facility. Despite the public partner's decision to recruit its operational team early (mid-way through construction stage) thus providing additional time for the team to design and imbed its operational processes, important project knowledge was lost as an unintended consequence of the prison's builder being unexpectedly put into administration (RK05). Construction delays resulted in the role of the operational team being substantially pushed back, and during this period of uncertainty, one member of the team decided to retire (RK05). Not only did this situation result in significant knowledge loss, it exposed a lack of adequate succession planning by the public partner.