Darrin Grimsey

• Partner at Ernst & Young

IntroductionWhat do PPPs Bring to Procurement?Developing a MethodologyConclusion

ublic Private Partnerships (PPPs) rarely get good press, and public opinion is quick to condemn a PPP that does not succeed as a failure of the concept itself. Perhaps it is because, as Tony Harris, one of the staunchest critics of PPPs, once observed '… good news stories receive little attention in public … . The private infrastructure projects wh...

In an earlier article in this journal (Grimsey, D., & Lewis, M. K. (2002b). Accounting for Public Private Partnerships. Accounting Forum, 26(3), 245–270), we examined the intricacies of the accounting issues raised by Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). It was argued that the critical accounting question from the public sector's viewpoint is not on...

This book provides an in-depth overview of the PPP history and present evolvement. It is written by authors who combine wide practical expertise with a sound theoretical base. It will serve as a useful guide for everyone interested in public private partnership, and those involved in preparing and implementing PPPs.' - Martin Grass, Quarterly Journ...

Publicprivate partnerships (PPPs) offer one way of resolving the large cost overruns and delays in traditional public procurement methods for infrastructure, by creating appropriate incentives among contracting partners. However, with the growth of PPPs, the role of government is changing, and the public sector must restructure itself for the new g...

What discount rate should be used when evaluating public private partnership (PPP) projects is a vexed question that has been the subject of considerable discussion globally in the PPP arena, and there are many different approaches being used. It is also an area where policy has changed in recent years. Darrin Grimsey of Pricewaterhouse- Coopers an...

The National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in Britain are currently in a state of decay following many years of underinvestment in the estate. The NHS urgently requires billions of pounds of investment ranging from total hospital new builds to small refurbishment of existing facilities. The previous Conservative government put forward the Private...

A public-private partnership (PPP) can be defined as a cooperative arrangement between the public and private sectors for the sharing of the risks and responsibilities for the provision of asset-based (infrastructure) services. The long-term contractual nature of the business relationship leads to difficult financial issues, related to taxation, ca...

In many countries, limitations upon the public funds available for infrastructure have led governments to invite private sector entities to enter into long-term contractual agreements for the financing, construction and/or operation of capital intensive projects. For the public procurer, there is an obvious need to ensure that value-for-money has b...

The National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in Britain are currently in a state of decay following many years of underinvestment in the estate. The NHS urgently requires billions of pounds of investment ranging from total hospital new builds to small refurbishment of existing facilities. The previous Conservative government put forward the Private...

Debate about PPPs often lumps them with privatisations and suggests that private finance is more expensive than traditional procurement methods. Darrin Grimsey of PricewaterhouseCoopers argues that economic facts show both objections are simply wrong.

Extract: Infrastructure and PPP’s are contentious issues in Australia attracting greater media attention in recent years. However, intelligent debate is frequently debased by argument that stems from political economy and a preoccupation with the cost of capital rather than the merits of PPP’s and the potential benefits – reduced procurement cost a...