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Differentiating high-quality Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects that are fit for purpose for the SDGs from the rest is a crucial step in implementing the People-first PPP approach in national infrastructure policies and programmes.
In November 2018, the UNECE Working Party (WP) on PPPs recognized that identifying a proper evaluation methodology for scoring PPP projects, and encourage the various partners to make them People-first was the next most crucial step in implementing the People-first PPP approach; and that a joint effort from multiple stakeholders, including contributions from a broad group of experts and organizations was needed to develop such a methodology. The WP therefore requested the secretariat to give priority to the development of such a methodology, and to submit a proposal for the creation of an evaluation methodology project team to the Bureau, for consideration and approval.
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d. Stakeholders including CSOs, including NGOs and academia, in assessing new and existing PPP projects at different stages of their lifecycle life-cycle towards the achievement of the SDGs. The tool could also be used to enhance PPPs that do not meet the SDG requirements. Reporting on progress of infrastructure projects will improve transparency and governance in that it can strengthen people’s right to express their views on the merits and demerits of specific projects.
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f. UNECE in enriching its 500 People-first PPP case study compendium.
Version: 1.0
2. Project scope
2.1 Application scope
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The project deliverables are:
3.1 The People-first PPP Project Impact Assessment Tool (“Tool”)
The Tool will consist of an evaluation methodology based on selected outcomes and indicators, and a rating index based on a weighting mechanism. In designing the Tool, the project team should meet the following requirements:
a. Benchmark at least 5 existing evaluation tools, including those developed by organizations[1] and individual experts[2].
b. Use the five People-first core outcomes[3] and other factors, including:
- Intent: extent to which parties to the project intend to achieve environmental and social impact from their project;
- Verification: that the impacts/outcomes are in fact able to be verified;
- Location: that the locations of projects can make the greatest contribution to social development if they are in countries where the development challenges are the greatest.
c. Identify relevant methodological frameworks or indicators under each outcome. These must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable and Time-bounded (SMART).
d. Weigh each indicator and design a scoring mechanism and a rating index.
3.2 Key recommendations for the effective implementation of the Tool
The validation group will consider the possibility of developing the following implementation mechanisms and will make recommendations accordingly:
a. A voluntary certification mechanism for governments and their partners on delivering People-first PPP projects. The role of various stakeholder groups - not UNECE - in providing these certificates should be looked at.
b. An IT “knowledge-sharing platform” (e.g. the multilateral IT platform SOURCE financed by the MDBs) to centralize index results and the inputs and outputs leading to the People-first PPP outcomes. Such a platform can help increase the volume of official statistical data on PPP projects and disseminate results to all stakeholders, thereby facilitating the large-scale adoption of the Tool. Duplication should be avoided, but if such a platform does not exist or is not appropriate to host this tool, and is to be created, it could be developed jointly with IFIs, consultancy firms or non-for-profit actors.
c. Deployment of the Tool in 10 flagship projects [4], ensuring reporting of (annual) results.
d. Development of a management strategy to establish a continuous, self-sustaining process for global roll-out, in order to scale up the Tool to an increasing number of projects in developed, developing and least developed countries.
e. Design and dissemination of an implementation guide, training materials, capacity building activities in selected countries, etc.
[1] E.g. Toyo University PPP School, IESE Business School, Tsinghua University. Other tools that could be looked at include, inter alia, the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure Envision framework, the UNEP FI's Positive Impact Initiative Radar and Model Frameworks, etc. The project team might also consider using the UNECE draft benchmark developed on the basis of the People-first Guiding Principles.
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The Project Team will be comprised of two groups performing too separate but related tasks:
a. A technical group, composed of experts with specialist knowledge in the areas of PPP and evaluation methodologies and impact assessment, coming from diverse backgrounds, especially with experience in low and middle-income countries.
b. An inclusive, multi-stakeholder validation group subdivided into sub-validation groups: PPP Units, international organizations including UN bodies, Multilateral Development Banks, lenders, the business community, academia, NGOs/CSOs.
5.2 Project Co-leaders
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6. Project leadership
Project leader | P0011 LeaderJames Stewart | |
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Editor | P0011 editor
7. Resource requirements
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ODP Step | ODP Name | Estimated Completion Date | Comment | ||||||||||
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1 | Project initiation | 2019 AprilMay | Project approval by the Bureau of the Working Party on PPPs | ||||||||||
2 | Stakeholder mobilization | 2019 AprilMay-July | |||||||||||
3 | Developing the initial draft | 2019 April-June | 4 | Public review | 2019 July | 5 | Endorsement | 2019 December | 6 | Approval | 2019 December | 7 | Maintenance |
To be defined
Project approval by the Bureau of the Working Party on PPPs
To be defined
(tbc) | First version of the tool tested against actual projects and revised accordingly |
4 | Public review | (tbc) | Publication of draft tool on the UNECE website for public review |
5 | Endorsement | (tbc) | Endorsement of tool by the Working Party on PPPs |
6 | Approval | (tbc) | Submission of tool to the UNECE Committee on Innovation, Competitiveness and Public Private Partnerships for approval |
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7 | Maintenance |