The Groundswell Effect and the Emergence of the Public-Private Partnership Relational Model by Jon Hansen

In his book Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes, Mark Penn argues that the biggest trends in America are the Microtrends, the smaller trends that go unnoticed or ignored.

If you think about it for a moment, you will see that Penn is right on the money.  After all, how many of us thought that from its somewhat humble bulletin board beginnings, that the Internet would become the catalyst for global social and economic change?

This is perhaps one of the main reasons why I started this blog back in May 2007.  At the time, I wanted to provide a lens on the silent, groundswell shifts that would ultimately envelop the industry and redefine the way we do business.  Generally speaking, and based on the growth we have seen in readership, it would appear that we have been successful in identifying emerging trends and players.

Within this context, the following announcement regarding the recently signed Joint Venture Agreement between Strategic Relationship Solutions – a company we have been tracking since 2009, and the Commonwealth Association for Infrastructure Development, warrants considerable attention.

Despite industry’s best efforts to modernize and “professionalize” sourcing practices, project management and service delivery methods, over 70% of significant business relationships or large projects continue to fail to meet their objectives.

 “Although the use of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP or P3) has reduced failure of large infrastructure projects it has not eliminated it, particularly in the operational phase.  The need to take proactive measures to develop and execute PPP strategies that deliver the desired outcomes was the main impetus behind the Commonwealth Association for Infrastructure Development (CIID) to enter into a joint venture agreement with Strategic Relationship Solutions”, explains David Wright, Chief Executive, CIID.

According to Strategic Relationship Solutions Managing Partner Andy Akrouche, “Many PPP practitioners in Hong Kong (HK), the UK, Australia, Canada and around the world have experienced challenges establishing and managing initiatives, and as a result, the approach to PPPs has been changing and evolving for the better.”

“This evolution” Akrouche continued “is moving PPPs from a fundamentally static business arrangement to one based on flexibility, agility and collaboration.  In this context, the Joint Venture with CIID will allow both organizations to collaborate and build the capacity to effectively transfer a full suite of powerful resident advisory services to our clients.”

Over the past 20 years, Strategic Relationship Solutions’ Relational Model has become the linchpin for initiative success in both the public and private sectors.  The end-to-end relationship framework model, which focuses on stakeholder relationships as the pivotal point in terms of measuring performance and ongoing delivery management, is at the heart of the new paradigm shift in contracting and project management.

This complements perfectly CIID’s global experience in terms of creating a fresh approach to development projects, with integrated solutions covering project planning & management, project financing, capacity building, training and fostering international best practice.

The joint venture will further the CIID mandate to enhance the delivery and performance of infrastructure projects in the Commonwealth and further afield, that in turn will enable entire populations to enjoy increased prosperity and access to education, health care and employment.

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