Private Finance Initiatives (PFI): Getting it Right

Recently, the UK government reformed the popular PFI into what is now referred to as PF2 after years of denying that the PFI was not delivering value for money. The reform is the result of many factors, principal of which was public sector PFI capacity deficiencies which has compromised the success of many projects. Therefore, this study set out to determine the most important PFI skills from the perspectives of public and private sector PFI practitioners and if there exists differences in opinion between the sectors. A survey of the most important PFI skills was conducted among practitioners during the course of 2 infrastructure conferences held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Factor analysis of 17 PFI skills produced 3 factor groupings that broadly explain the PFI skills requirements. These skills include Contract design skills, Contract Management skills, and Risk identification and Management skills. There was however no statistically significant difference in opinion between the public and private sector respondents.