APPENDIX E: INVESTIGATION, SURVEY AND WORKSHOPS Workshop representatives came from the 12 case study projects, that included 20 school sites, which were in operation from about three to 15 years. Overall, the feedback from workshop participants was very positive, particularly when they got over some initial local frustrations and started to reflect on their overall experience with the quality of their PPP facilities and services compared to traditional procurement. The total number of positive comments made in the workshops exceed the negative comments, with: • 145 positive comments (or 53 per cent of all comments42), and • 129 negative comments (or 47 per cent of all comments). Given there were 12 projects across multiple sites operational for up to 15 years, the number of negative comments received were particularly surprisingly, in the opinion of the authors, few indicating the contracts are working well. However, the research did not have a control group, that is, 12 case study projects, including 20 school sites, which were in operation from about three to 15 years and delivered and operated under traditional models. Therefore, the authors cannot comment with any certainty the comparable positive or negative comments arising from a similar sample of traditionally procured case study projects. Details the themes that emerged from the workshops on the operation of the PPP projects researched are provided below. For completeness, both significant and minor themes and sub-themes are reported.
E.1 Introduction The method detailed in Appendix D was followed using the questions outlined in the ethics approval set out in Appendix C. All comments were recorded by the workshop attendees working in groups that represented their category of case study projects. These recorded comments were analysed, amalgamated and categorised according to asset types and respective states. This data of comments was then coded into two major categories: positive comments and issues. Specific findings follow.
E.2 Category 1: Positive themes The data of comments coded in positive category lead to the identification of various sub-themes. These sub-themes could be reasonably categorised to form two core themes: service delivery and stakeholder and relationship management. Table E.1 represents positive themes with the sub-themes listed in order of frequency.
Table E.1: Breakdown of positive comments into core themes and sub-themes (sub-themes are listed in priority order) Core Themes
Sub-Themes
POSITIVE
Service delivery
Facilities maintenance
145 comments
(84.3 per cent)
Service quality
(100 per cent)
Facility design and build quality Core service outcomes Lifecycle planning Innovation Stakeholder and relationship management (15.7 per cent)
Consortium relationship Facility maintenance relationship Stakeholder engagement Communications
E.2.1 Service delivery core theme The service delivery core theme recorded 84.3 per cent of positive comments. The six sub-themes identified are discussed below: E.2.1.1 Facility maintenance Facility maintenance in the PPP model represents hard and soft services that the private sector delivers to the public sector for length of the contract term. Hard services include maintenance of the building fabric, maintenance of grounds and gardens, maintenance of electrical, mechanical, civil engineering components in the building, and programmed lifecycle replacement and maintenance. While the soft services include waste management, catering, cleaning services, car parking services and other services. The facility maintenance sub-theme ranked highest of positive comments among all sub-themes. For all the 12 PPP projects, the service providers and contract managers accepted that facility maintenance is an essential part of service delivery that has led to positive operational outcomes. The service providers and contract managers for the education category generally appreciated the hard services component of PPP model which leads to school being maintained at a high standard throughout the contract period. It contributes work life balance to principals who no longer must take time after school hours or during vacations to ensure that facilities are kept in high operational standards. School business
MEASURING THE VALUE AND SERVICE OUTCOMES OF SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE PPPS IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
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