Saving on public services through partnerships
Partnerships are the future model for the provision of public services. To this end, different public and private partners will increasingly join forces in agile communities in the future. In doing so, they will strengthen lifecycle and sustainability thinking in order to increase efficiency and effectiveness. This was the conclusion reached by various project managers at an information event held by the PPP Switzerland association in Bern at the end of November 2016.
Concepts such as PPP encompass the partnership-based cooperation between the public sector and private industry and is a solution approach for the optimal fulfillment of public tasks. On the one hand, PPP is a procurement variant that is oriented to the life cycle. In addition, however, according to general linguistic usage, PPP also includes other forms of partnership-based task fulfillment, which are characterized in particular by features such as fulfillment of a public task as an objective, participation of at least one private and one public partner, provision of an economic service, community of responsibility, bundling of resources (capital, operating resources, expertise), etc.
Since the turn of the century, public infrastructures have been at the center of the PPP discussion. In this context, the areas of planning, construction, possibly financing and operation (FM) are of major importance. In the area of building construction in particular, there are broad, internationally accepted standards and methods. In any case, the aim is to achieve sustainable economic efficiency over the life cycle and to ensure success through partnership.
Development of the partnership concepts
In Switzerland, various partnership concepts existed long before the PPP model. Examples include the fields of meteorology and spatial development, but also mixed-economy companies.
In view of the challenges and the threat of overstretching the state, the PPP methodology offers an excellent opportunity to launch new partnerships and optimize forms of cooperation based on partnership, as Urs Bolz, PPP expert and head of the association's network of experts, explained.
The core elements of the PPP model are that both public and private partners are responsible for the results of the end product and that the project is geared to the life cycle. The private partner explicitly assumes economic risks, and thanks to suitable incentive systems, success pays off for him.
Canton Basel-Landschaft reduces IT costs
Ruedi Hausammann, founder and partner of NOVO Business Consultants AG, pointed out the enormous costs resulting from the increasing complexity of information and communication technology ICT, not only for projects, but especially for the maintenance of IT landscapes. For example, the canton of Basel-Landschaft uses an extensive SAP platform with around 50 networked IT systems to handle business processes. The entire operation as well as further development must be ensured in the long term.
In order to improve the overall situation both qualitatively and economically, the complete transfer of the operation, support and further development of the entire SAP platform and the associated third-party systems took place in a public-private partnership with NOVO that is unique in Switzerland to date. This PPP is based on the life cycle, which is significantly longer than 10 years for an SAP landscape. The two partners form a community of responsibility and share the risks and responsibilities along their core competencies.
Energy network GSG to increase energy efficiency
The energienetz GSG (Gossau SG - St.Gallen - Gaiserwald) is a regional platform for energy and resource efficiency, founded as a simple society with 31 local member companies, the municipality of Gaiserwald, the energy cities of Gossau and St.Gallen, local energy suppliers, regional trade and industry associations, and the energy office of the canton of St.Gallen.
As coordinator Andreas Schläpfer explained, energienetz GSG aims to increase operational energy efficiency and continuously reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the Gossau East - St.Gallen West industrial area. A further goal is the construction of a low-temperature heat network (anergy network) to use the surplus waste heat from the industrial processes for the heat supply. In October 2016, the project initiators defined an initial cluster for which framework credits will be requested from the political communities for construction at the beginning of 2017.
Science: Research and development in partnership
Excellent infrastructure is needed for cutting-edge research, as Dr. Thomas Brunschwiler of IBM Reserach explained. Especially in nanotechnology, investments in the double-digit millions can be expected. In order to share these initial costs and synergistically ensure critical mass for operation, the long-standing research partners IBM and ETH Zurich opted for a PPP model in 2007 in the implementation of the "Binnig and Rohrer Nanotechnology Center (BRNC)". IBM financed the building infrastructure, while capital investments in equipment were shared between ETH and IBM, with ETH renting the space. In the process, the clean room is operated by IBM personnel and ETH contributes to the operational costs.
The PPP model has proven to be very successful and robust since the opening of the BRNC in 2011. In the meantime, four professorships of ETH Zurich are permanently located in Rüschlikon and a first startup could already be founded. The BRNC is a unique success in the field of PPP of basic research infrastructure in Switzerland. Thus, IBM can continue its world-class research in the field of nanotechnology in Rüschlikon and ETH has gained capacity expansion of its research infrastructure and access to a professional process team many years earlier. Furthermore, Switzerland's position in the international research landscape could be decisively strengthened through this collaboration.
Public Private Development Partnerships (PPDP)
Jean-Christophe Favre, advisor for partnerships with the private sector at the SDC, outlined how collaboration with the private sector can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 2030 Agenda, adopted by the international community in September 2015, can only be implemented if there is strong commitment from all stakeholders. The Dispatch on International Cooperation 2017-2020 encourages Swiss development cooperation to work more closely with businesses to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDC engages in innovative partnerships with the private sector. In these partnerships, each partner contributes its skills and resources to achieve a common goal, even if their respective interests may differ. The aim is to develop products and services for the most disadvantaged, such as micro-insurance against natural disasters; to influence the business model of companies, for example by reducing the water footprint of their products; and to promote dialogue on the principles of responsible business conduct and human rights, for example through the Global Compact. In this way, it should be possible to make a sustainable, far-reaching contribution to the achievement of development goals and poverty reduction.
More information: Association PPP Switzerland
