Procurement study visit to Lisbon – Day 3
The meeting agenda for the final day of the Procurement Component’s study visit was dedicated to Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and Concession topics — Ukrainian delegation met with Infraestruturas de Portugal and UTAP.
Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) is a Portuguese state-owned company in charge of managing the road and railroad network in Portugal. During the meeting IP colleagues shared with Ukrainian counterparts the overall information about their company as well as the work on the Lisbon-Porto-Vigo high speed rail line, which is implemented via the PPP model. The presentation of the latter revealed project details, including the overview, attraction of financing, planning and project risk structuring. Overall, the information provided served as an inspiration for the implementation of PPP in the railway sector, thus significantly increasing the connectivity and passenger service level. However, it also reminded that PPP projects need proper planning and preparatory efforts in order for them to succeed.
UTAP is a dedicated Portuguese government PPP unit whose tasks include assisting the responsible line ministries in the implementation of the PPP projects. Over their presentations, UTAP colleagues described key conditions for successful PPP projects as well as the PPP alignment system in Portugal. They also dwelled in the previous PPP experience in different domains, such as roads and healthcare, and highlighted both the success stories and the challenges. Regarding the latter, it was emphasized that appropriate planning and oversight is important, as it allows to maintain public and budgetary control over the projects.
Ukrainian and Portuguese colleagues agreed to maintain close contacts after the end of the visit and expressed hopes for continued interactions in future.
