2.  Engaging with additional facility service providers during bidding and design refinement phases of the project

While service providers overwhelmingly prefer to work in PPP facilities, they suggested greater service provider involvement in the design phase may prevent instances of poor design. The comments were primarily made by service providers of school projects, rather the other Social Infrastructure PPP categories.

Many principals noted that neither they nor a colleague principal had the opportunity to input in the design process.25 They elaborated that such issues were of detail, for example, good green star building outcomes but the use of heavy swinging doors that young students could not push, and inappropriate furniture and equipment provision. A theme emerged that such issues coalesce to create a sense of avoidable negativity, although this does not take away from the broader sense of positivity about the new facilities. While such issues of detail are acknowledged to also exist in non-PPP schools, it was highlighted that in some jurisdictions the input of school-based reference groups are not involved in the PPP design phase.

Another issue highlighted was that in some jurisdictions the government or school was responsible for paying energy and water bills, however, the on-site FM operator had control of energy and water consumption. These principals pointed out that rooms were lit and cooled or heated irrespective of whether they were occupied or indeed the school wanted cooling or heating. They pointed to cases were rooms were heated in the mornings and cooled in the afternoon when sometimes all that was necessary was to open windows. Moreover, such overuse of electricity (and water on playing fields during rainy days) was counter to their wish to instil a respectful use of environmental resources among students.

Service providers generally suggested that in future PPP projects, service providers need to be involved with bidders in design and establishment planning to avoid such issues. While such an involvement may have cost and time implications for the D&C provider of the SPV the benefit would be greater goodwill from service providers. Another theme that emerged from principals is that each school wants to build its own culture and that "space" needs to be provided in the design and establishment process for this input (see also Section 4.5). In relation to this, the authors heard from some principals that the second generation of PPP schools project address this matter much better than the first generation.