Creating public value: Optimizing cooperation Between public and private Partners in infrastructure Projects

Infrastructure projects - such as the construction of tunnels and bridges or the (re)construction of roads and highways – are always performed to add quality to society. In The Netherlands, these projects are most often financed by the government, from local to national level, and constructed by private contractors. Public and private partners increasingly recognize the importance of cooperation to ensure successful execution of projects. However, the partnership arrangements made at strategic level are still difficult to ensure at tactical level, where the project is controlled. This study focuses on the tactical level and specifically on the perspective of the public project managers. It is investigated what they consider project success and how the project management team operates to control the project processes. The main result of this study is the public Value Chain in which the processes of the combined project organization are captured. Recommendations are made on the primary and secondary processes that binds the partners to each other. The public Value Chain will help collaborating partners to position their specific contribution to the project outcomes more clearly. Practitioners are encouraged to use the public Value Chain to organize their project activities and discuss the contribution of both public and private parent organizations to an efficient process. It can help partners to execute their specific contribution to the value they are creating. This will further optimize collaboration between public and private partners.