The research objectives stated in Chapter 1 were:
- To examine how PPP operational phase partnership, risk and performance management practices can be improved to achieve better VfM outcomes. This will involve developing a generic conceptual integrated model intended to assist government decision-makers to allocate and make better use of public sector resources during the operational phase of PPPs that may have significant and / or long-term consequences for achieving strategic objectives using an integrated partnership, risk and performance management approach. This includes:
o Establishing and maintaining effective partnership relations between public and private partners;
o Identifying and managing public sector risks (both threat and opportunity risk); and
o Modifying (improving) and then maintaining service delivery performance standards of operators, and where appropriate, the oversight role of government or its delegates.
- To test the logic and sufficiency of the model by exposing it to industry practitioner review and comment.
The questions developed to achieve the research objectives were as follows:
1. "How can partnership, risk and performance management practices be better utilised by the public sector to improve the operational performance of PPP, leading to improved VfM outcomes?"
2. "What is privatisation?"
3. "What are PPPs?"
4. "What is VfM?"
5a. "What are the principles, processes and problems associated with partnership management?"
5b. "How does partnership management relate to PPP?"
6a. "What are the principles, processes and problems associated with risk management?"
6b. "How does risk management relate to PPP?"
7a. "What are the principles, processes and problems associated with performance management?
7b. "How does performance management relate to PPP?"
8. "How can partnership, risk and performance management be synthesised into a model of better practice management that will lead to improved VfM outcomes in the operational phase of PPP?"
The research questions were answered through:
- Undertaking a comprehensive review of literature. This provided a foundation for answering each research question (except Question 8) including identifying and selecting key definitions, principles, processes and problems within the context of PPP. Chapters 3 and 4 comprise the main aspects of literature review.
- Developing case studies. This was undertaken to allow issues identified in the literature review to be considered in context of real-world situations. This relates to answering Questions 1 and 5a to 7b and augments the literature review with analysis of real PPP examples to further focus the relevant issues. Chapter 5 comprises the case studies.
- Designing the IMM. After the preliminary iteration was developed from literature review, the IMM content was then offered for consideration by PPP experts via interview, thus leading to the fulfilment of Questions 1 and 4 to 8. The model design and its development are dealt with in Chapters 6 to 8.
- Refining the IMM. This was achieved through focus group review by subjecting the model to more intensive scrutiny by PPP experts. This approach was instrumental for testing the propositions inherent in answering Questions 1 and 4 to 8. Chapter 9 reports on this process.
It is also appropriate to consider the contribution to knowledge made by the research and its findings.