Definition – A public-private partnership
is a service or venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies. These schemes are sometimes referred to as PPP, P3 or P3. PPPs involve a contract between a public sector authority and a private party, in which the private party provides a public service or project and assumes substantial financial, technical and operational risk in the project.
Relevance to SUMP: Private sector companies may be responsible for providing important mobility services for an authority preparing a SUMP, for example: constructing, operating and maintaining infrastructure such as railways and roads or operating public transport services. In these cases, the companies should be viewed as a primary stakeholder for the purpose of SUMP development as they can bring knowledge and experience to the process and may be involved in measure selection and implementation. Methods for involving private sector companies in the process should be reviewed with regard to tendering rules, for example where an existing contract is due for renewal.
Where no PPP arrangements are currently in place, a lead SUMP authority can appraise whether a PPP would be a suitable approach to future implementation of a SUMP measure.