The central government of the Philippines provides support to local governments and agencies in their PPP projects. The PPP Center operates closely with the National Economic and Development Authority and was set up to help support PPP projects. The PPP Center serves as the central coordinating and monitoring agency for all PPP projects in the Philippines. It champions the country's PPP Program by enabling Procuring Authorities in all aspects of PPP procurement and it is in regular contact with the Procuring Authority in the operations phase.
The PPP Center supports the Procuring Authorities by providing:
• Project Development and Monitoring Facility Services
• Project Development Services
• Policy Formulation, Project Evaluation, and Monitoring Services
• Capacity Building and Knowledge Management Services
• Legal Services
The PPP Center's PPP monitoring role continues into the operations phase. The PPP Center is involved in coordination activities to ensure smooth project operation. While monitoring is primarily at a high level, relying on reports submitted by the Procuring Authority, the PPP Center may also conduct in-depth monitoring and evaluation of PPP projects. This may involve focus group discussions among all concerned stakeholders.
While the PPP Center supports Procuring Authorities in setting up and promoting PPP projects, the final approval of any project lies with the Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) and the National Economic and Development Authority Board, depending on the project cost. Their decision is influenced by recommendations from the ICC's technical working group, which is made up of the PPP Center, the Finance Ministry, the Economic and Development Authority, and the Environment Department.
The Philippines government structure offers a lot of autonomy for local governments, including rights to impose restrictions, requirements, and taxes. As a result, the Procuring Authority and the Project Company had to conduct extensive consultation and coordination activities with the Local Government Units (LGUs) to ensure compliance with all local regulations and ordinances.