As you've probably realized by now, developing a strong, sustainable, and effective PPP is no easy task. The challenges that you will encounter-selecting partners, negotiating agreements, creating value, ensuring sustainability, and managing conflicts of interest-should not be taken lightly.
In partnering with the private sector, governments will be met with quantifiable challenges posed by the realities of the market. The motivations that guide private-sector companies are different from those that motivate governments, and aligning these incentive structures is far from simple. Using the Value Alignment Scale, government professionals can identify areas of potential agreement between the public and private sectors, but capitalizing on these areas of overlap is easier said than done, as we have discussed.
There are also cultural-cognitive barriers to progress. Mistrust between the public and private sectors is common, as is bias. Interpersonal challenges within a negotiative framework can lead to sub-optimized deals. And, as we've noted, even strong partnerships can face challenges in communicating their value to a wider audience.
Executive education workshops can help prepare public-sector officials for these kinds of challenges while also helping to determine PPP priorities and facilitate engagement with the private sector.
With all the challenges that public-private partnerships face-particularly the social PPPs associated with healthcare-it is no wonder that governments have often been apprehensive to engage in them. Indeed, these challenges have often led governments to abandon potentially beneficial PPP projects. But these challenges, imposing though they may seem, can be managed. Managing these risks requires significant effort, dedication, training, and commitment on the part of governments. But the risks associated with social PPPs can be reduced using the detailed frameworks and skills recommended in this Guide, and value can be created for both public- and private-sector partners. Simply put, the methods outlined in this guide work. They can be used effectively to reduce friction, improve outcomes, and ensure sustainability.
Public-private partnerships promise significant upsides for government practitioners who are able to orchestrate them effectively. With the costs of significant healthcare challenges continuing to mount-NCDs among them-PPPs promise to optimize resources and deliver "more with less." For governments with limited resources looking to make a significant impact on healthcare outcomes, PPPs, if applied wisely and judiciously, can be a deeply powerful tool.
And of course, when it comes to NCDs like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic respiratory conditions, and mental health conditions, there is a cost to inaction. Nothing has made this more apparent than the Covid-19 pandemic. And though the chronic and costly nature of these diseases create complexity for governments hoping to engage in PPPs, that complexity is also paired with opportunity.
As we know, governments alone cannot create a fruitful landscape for partnership. There is work to be done, also, within the private-sector to build capacity for PPPs and manage conflicts of interest. But, if the private sector is to occupy the role of "trustworthy partner" effectively, governments need to provide a strategic and stable authorizing foundation to enable it.
Recall that the Guide is a core component of a larger comprehensive method for approaching PPPs that also includes a series of high-level workshops. By applying the tools and frameworks from the Guide to the challenges of real-world partnership, both public- and private-sector executives will be better equipped to overcome obstacles and create sustainable partnerships.
As we've discussed, however, the Guide is not meant to be a template. There are no template-style solutions when it comes to PPPs, and ultimately, PPP practitioners will need to apply these skills and frameworks in unique and creative ways if success is to be realized. Some PPP projects might employ every framework and skill that the Guide covers, some may highlight only a few at any given time. Importantly, however, by mastering the skills and frameworks contained within Guide, professionals can ensure that their PPP-based solutions are methodologically sound and based on a firm understanding of how those before them have succeeded and failed.
Furthermore, international support for cross-sector engagement is already beginning to coalesce-as evidenced by WHO's commitment to private-sector engagement through the NCD Platform. With Platform-level support being built at WHO, the resources available to PPP practitioners are limited, but growing.
When it comes to the most pressing healthcare challenges of the 21st century, the world cannot afford to wait any longer. With strong international and multilateral support in place, now is the time for progress.
As a tool for engaging with the private sector, the Guide must be accompanied by executive education and training. But through continued learning, executive education, and support at the national and international level, government professionals can develop the preparation, execution and value creation skills needed to engage in effective partnerships. Armed with an understanding of the frameworks and skills contained within this Guide, you should be prepared to approach a potential partnership opportunity rationally, methodologically, and confidently.