Moving into implementation, several key considerations for the project partners will help ensure success:
• Stakeholder management during implementation. The need for effective communication with stakeholders does not end with contract award. Instead, the early stages of a project are a critical time for the winning bidder to establish the trust of the communities facing development. As the PPP moves into implementation, the selected bidder should have a well-detailed plan for ongoing communication with the community, including an appointed liaison.
• Ensure the right people on both sides of the relationship are in place. The key staff should have the right technical and managerial skills and an established protocol for working together. Both parties should be well familiar with the details of the contract and both should strive for an atmosphere of mutual respect.
• Ability to manage variations. The management of PPP contracts requires some flexibility on both sides and a means to adapt the terms of the contract to reflect inevitable changes in the operating environment that could not have been anticipated or dealt with in the contract. Contracts should be capable of change (terms, requirements, scope, etc.) and the relationship should be strong and flexible enough to facilitate it. Good contract management is not reactive, but aims to proactively anticipate and respond to the business needs of the future.