Performance Measurement and Evaluation of Public-Private Partnerships: A Systematic Literature Review

The theme regarding the procurement models implementation, under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) regime has been widely discussed in the last decade, with a general lack of consensus regarding the forms of measuring and evaluating the outcome performance during their life cycle. The main objective of this paper is to contribute to a greater understanding, regarding the PPP forms of performance measurement and evaluation, answering the research question: How to measure and evaluate performance in PPP model? Simultaneously, by identifying both empirical studies, which enable performance measurement as well as theoretical papers, which point new paths for a correct evaluation of this type of procurement model (contracting). To answer the research question and achieve the proposed objectives, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was performed, having as data a set of 64 articles, published in specialized journals, available on the electronic platform “Web of Science”. The results allowed classifying the PPP models measurement and evaluation of the performance in three main clusters: • Evaluation Systems and Frameworks • Performance Measurement (KPIs) and • Conceptual - Theoretical Analysis Through this alignment, it becomes evident that there is no agreement among academics and researchers as to the most effective way to measure and evaluate the PPP model performance. This disagreement results from the application of different evaluation methods to PPP projects with different characteristics and the distinctive nature/objectives of the procurement projects, which leads to the uncertainty regarding the transversal applicability of evaluation models to all PPP projects. Finally, we propose as future investigation, the elaboration of a matrix, disaggregating the PPP model in its various typologies and by contracting scope, applying, for each case, the various models and frameworks proposed in the literature. This matrix could validate whether it will, in fact, be possible to associate a given measurement and evaluation model to a specific PPP typology vs. scope, in a consistent and transversal way. It is also proposed to apply efforts towards a conclusion regarding the VfM (Value for Money) indicator and its relation to the PPP outcome performance. Finally, it is proposed to accommodate conceptual studies to reach a contractual framework, which might mitigate the negative effects of the written contracts and enhance the positive impacts.