Book Description

This NAO report forms part of a number of NAO reports looking at PFI (Private Finance Initiative) projects undertaken across the public sector. PFIs are contractual arrangements with private sector companies to design, build, finance and operate institutions such as schools and hospitals. At present there are over 500 operational projects throughout the UK, with a combined capital of £44 billion. It is also estimated that including future payments, with many projects running up until 2031-32, capital will rise to £91 billion. Given the length of many of the contracts, it is inevitable that operational changes to services will be required, so it is important that PFI contracts have flexibility, with built in value for money. The report is divided into three parts, with appendices. The NAO has set out a number of finding including: that PFI deals are offering sufficient flexibility to the public sector; that some projects achieve better value than others, but that (i) higher value changes were not always competitively tendered; (ii) for minor works, there was little consistency in the methods used by the public sector; (iii) that the cost of replacing items throughout the life of the contract was also inconsistently applied; (iv) that contractors had often charged additional fees, which were not specified in the original contract. The NAO recommendations, include: where there is a relevant contract clause, competitive tendering should be undertaken; for existing contract deals, authorities employing contractors need to put in place consistent and robust means to validate the costs of small changes; public authorities should explore with their private sector partners the feasibility of clarifying current contracts, so they follow current best practice; contract management should be properly resourced in order to manage the change process. Public sector authorities could improve value for money of operational changes by: adopting a strategic approach to changes; keeping a good permanent record of changes and payments made; fostering open lines of communication with front-line users and other stakeholders as well as the PFI contractor.