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Development of Policy, Legal, and Insitutional Framework for - ppiaf

Development of Policy, Legal, and Insitutional Framework for - ppiaf

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<strong>Development</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Policy</strong>, <strong>Legal</strong>, & Institutional <strong>Framework</strong> <strong>for</strong> the PPP Program in Malawi<br />

Final Report<br />

Commencement <strong>of</strong> Service Delivery<br />

After signing <strong>of</strong> the PPP contract, there will usually be a period <strong>of</strong> construction or project<br />

development to put in place all the service delivery mechanisms. There is considerable<br />

risk associated with this period, in particular the risk <strong>of</strong> delays <strong>and</strong>/or cost over-runs <strong>for</strong><br />

the construction ef<strong>for</strong>t. The contract must include provisions that specify how the public<br />

sector partner will be compensated in the event that the private sector operator fails to<br />

complete construction within the agreed timeframe. On the contractor’s side, they will<br />

need provisions in the contract that assure them the Contracting Agency will accept the<br />

constructed facilities if they meet certain specifications.<br />

A key issue in this area <strong>of</strong> contracting is to what extent the Contracting Authority will be<br />

involved in activities conducted during the construction or development phase. There<br />

must be clearly defined parameters <strong>of</strong> such involvement in the contract. The design,<br />

construction, maintenance, <strong>and</strong> per<strong>for</strong>mance <strong>of</strong> any asset procured or developed <strong>for</strong> the<br />

purpose <strong>of</strong> meeting output specifications <strong>of</strong> the contract are all the Contractor’s risks. In<br />

most cases, the Authority should not accept any role be<strong>for</strong>e Service Commencement<br />

other than the following:<br />

Review <strong>of</strong> the Contractor’s designs, maintenance, <strong>and</strong> operation procedures;<br />

Observation <strong>and</strong> testing <strong>of</strong> the plant <strong>and</strong> equipment being developed;<br />

Observing periodic testing <strong>of</strong> the equipment being installed;<br />

Discussing with the Contractor any proposed changes to agreed specifications;<br />

Auditing the Contractor’s activities to en<strong>for</strong>ce agreed quality st<strong>and</strong>ards; <strong>and</strong><br />

Verifying the existence <strong>of</strong> all agreed factors at Service Commencement.<br />

In per<strong>for</strong>ming the audit function referenced above, it is essential that the Authority keep<br />

close track <strong>of</strong> any drawdowns on loan facilities that the Contractor may have <strong>for</strong> funding<br />

the construction or development period. It is un<strong>for</strong>tunately common practice <strong>for</strong> firms<br />

to submit very low cost proposals with the intent to draw down on loan facilities faster<br />

than attaining the percentage completion targets specified in the loan agreement. The<br />

auditing will prevent a Contractor from representing that percentage completion targets<br />

have been met be<strong>for</strong>e they have actually been met, thereby causing the loan to be drawn<br />

down faster than it should. Fraudulent practice in this area is common, <strong>and</strong> the<br />

methodology is the Contractor draws down a large portion <strong>of</strong> the loan while having<br />

only attained a relatively small percentage <strong>of</strong> construction completion.<br />

When the fraudulent practice is noticed, the Contractor files <strong>for</strong> bankruptcy protection<br />

<strong>and</strong> leaves the country with inflated pr<strong>of</strong>its. In other words, the Contractor had never<br />

intended to complete construction within the low budget that it provided in its Cost<br />

Proposal <strong>and</strong> at the end <strong>of</strong> the process the Contracting Authority is left with construction<br />

that has not been completed. Because <strong>of</strong> this practice, Cost Proposals must be reviewed<br />

<strong>for</strong> reasonableness, rather than simply selecting the bidder who submits the lowest cost<br />

proposal. Usually, problems <strong>of</strong> this sort can be sorted out in the BAFO process.<br />

In providing contract terms that allow the Contracting Authority to check the percentage<br />

<strong>of</strong> completion claimed by the Contractor at various stages during construction period, it<br />

THE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS 205

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