Reference: SPED/UCWG/0494
Location: London, UK
Duration: Up to a maximum of 30 consultant days over the period September to December 2011
Closing Date: 26 Aug 2011
Background
As part of the ongoing programme of in-depth evaluation studies, the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Strategic Planning and Evaluation Division (SPED), in collaboration with the Governance and Institutional Development Division (GIDD) is undertaking an evaluation of the Commonwealth Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative (hereinafter referred to as programme). The key rationales for the study are as following:
- To assess the programme’s contribution to the needs and requirements of member countries;
- To find out how this programme is valued by the member governments;
- To gather how the organizational effort (especially time and money) spent on this programme can be attributed to Public Sector Development Programme results; and
- To learn lessons from the past seven years of programme operation, redefine its comparative advantage and make recommendations in light of changed external environment.
The study will reflect on programme’s contribution to the Strategic Plan’s second goal of “Supporting pro-poor policies for economic growth and sustainable development in member countries” and Key Result 2 of Programme 5 Public Sector Development “Delivery of more effective citizen-centered public services”. Mainly two respective Strategic Plan indicators are to be used for the verification purposes:
- No.5 - Officials use enhanced competencies and policy frameworks to implement public-private partnerships; and
- No.6 - Countries use improved public service management systems, processes and procedures, as well as policy and legislative frameworks.
The origins of the programme date back to 2003-2004 when in response to CHOGMs 1997 and 1999 a project proposal was put forward with the following objectives:
- To build public sector capabilities to implement successful PPPs;
- To promote public sector development in member countries by increasing their attractiveness to national and international private sector investments in infrastructure, thus helping to accelerate economic development;
- To provide the Support Framework for member countries to implement PPP projects.
To achieve these objectives, the programme undertook a series of capacity-building activities in order to assist member countries to develop enabling environments for private sector investment; to prepare potential projects to offer to private sector markets for large-scale investment; and to create channels and linkages between member countries and private sector investors to tap into infrastructure funds. Subject to countries’ readiness and degree of development in terms of PPP, the Secretariat’s intervention was to take place at any of the five stages of the PPP process:
- Senior-level policy workshops;
- Capacity-building and training on key skills;
- Development of frameworks for enabling environment and risk management;
- Project development, contractual structures, bidding, and procurement of private investor;
- Project implementation in accordance with appropriate project execution framework.
The programme has been delivered mostly through workshops and advisory missions aimed at various audiences, from PPP practitioners up to senior-level decision-makers. Other areas of work include networking and knowledge-sharing events, research and preparation of reference materials, creation of virtual platforms and centres of excellence.
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