The standardized questionnaire that generated the data for Procuring Infrastructure PPPs was distributed to approximately 13,000 contributors in the 135 economies included in the report. Data collection, analysis, and validation spanned six months, and ended in November 2017. Once the initial data collection was done, the team conducted a follow-up round of questions via conference calls and written correspondence to address and resolve any contradictions or discrepancies in the data provided by various contributors. The preliminary data were finalized and then shared with the economy's respective governments or the World Bank Group's Country Management Unit (CMUs) for final validation.
The standardized questionnaire was distributed to practitioners who have a wealth of knowledge related to PPP systems. Respondents were selected on the basis of their experience and their availability to contribute meaningfully to the questionnaire. The report's main contributors were law firms that have experience advising clients on PPP transactions, laws, and regulations; public officials involved with PPP processes and transactions; chambers of commerce; consultants; and academics knowledgeable about PPPs.
The following sources were utilized to identify the appropriate pool of contributors:
› International guides, such as Chambers and Partners guides, the International Financial Law Review (IFLR), The Legal 500, Martindale-Hubbell, HG Lawyers' Global Directory, Who's Who Legal Directory, and Lexadin, as well as country-specific legal directories. The guides allowed the team to identify leading providers of legal services, including their specialization, in each economy.
› Major international law and accounting or consulting firms that have large, well-connected global networks through partner groups or foreign offices.
› Members of the American Bar Association, country bar association, and chambers of commerce, as well as other legal membership organizations.
› Government organizations that undertake PPPs, such as Ministries of Finance, PPP procuring authorities, and specific PPP units.
› Secondary resources and professional service providers recommended by World Bank staff, as suggested by embassy websites and business chambers.
Lawyers and professional service providers are in an ideal position to provide input for the questionnaire because they can draw upon their extensive experience advising clients, as well as their exposure to recent PPP transactions. Including PPP experts from various sectors of the economy helps ensure the accuracy of the survey's data by decreasing the chance of potential biases held by various contributors. Furthermore, including both the public and private sectors helps shed light on the views and insights of the various contributors involved in the PPP procurement process.