Powered by Lexis+®
Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
View all Glossary Terms Related Content
CASE STUDY
“In some areas of research there were also significant time savings. You get to what you are looking for more quickly, which all goes to the value of the product.”
Harper McleodAccess all documents on PPP
PPP meaning
Published by a LexisNexis Construction expert
What does PPP mean?
A public–private partnership (PPP) is a long-term arrangement where a contracting authority engages a private consortium to design, build, finance and operate or maintain public infrastructure or services, with risk and reward allocated by contract. PPP is a descriptive umbrella term, not a distinct legal form; the governing rights arise from the project agreement and the applicable public procurement or concession regimes.
PPPs are commonly delivered via a special purpose vehicle (SPV) owned by private sponsors (occasionally with a public share or joint‑venture element), financed on a limited‑recourse project finance basis. Typical features include 20–30 year terms, performance-based payment (unitary/availability charges or user-charge concessions), performance deductions, lender step‑in, termination and asset handback.
Across England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, PPPs are procured under the relevant Public Contracts and Concession Contracts Regulations; subsidy control applies under the Subsidy Control Act 2022. In Ireland, PPPs are delivered under Government PPP policy (with the NDFA acting for certain sectors), applying EU procurement and State aid rules.
Common variants include DBFM/DBFOM models. Historic and jurisdiction-specific models include PFI and PF2 (UK), Scotland’s NPD and hub programmes, and Wales’s Mutual Investment Model. PPP should not be confused with a partnership under partnership law.
Speed up all aspects of your legal work with tools that help you to work faster and smarter. Win cases, close deals and grow your business–all whilst saving time and reducing risk.
View the related Practice Notes about PPP
PRACTICE NOTES
Belgian Competition Authority closed behavioural investigations tracker: public decisions on cartels and abuse of dominance (Art 101/102 TFEU, 2018–2026)
This table provides an overview of all concluded probes by Belgium’s competition watchdog (the Belgian Competition Authority—BCA) concerning suspected cartels, anti-competitive agreements and abuses of dominant positions (Articles 101/102 TFEU and domestic counterparts) from 2018 onwards. Note—only publicly available decisions appear here. 2026 Investigations under Article 101 TFEU/Article IV.1 of the Code of Economic Law Newspaper distribution Companies: bpost; DPG media; Mediahuis; PPP Issue: Restrictive agreements—bid rigging Development: Infringement decision announced—13/02/20256; fines totalling €11,898,483 imposed Investigations under Article 102 TFEU/Article IV.2 of the Code of Economic Law The BCA has not yet delivered any decisions under Article 102/Article IV.2 in 2026. 2025 Investigations under Article 101 TFEU/Article IV.1 of the Code of Economic Law Electricity trading Companies: Nord Pool AS; EPEX SPOT SE Issue: Restrictive arrangements—market allocation Development: Infringement decision announced—26/06/2025; fines totalling €79,810 imposed ...
21 May
Read More 
PRACTICE NOTES
Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) PPP infrastructure projects: tendering, sponsors, financing, concession, EPC/EPCM, O&M, supply and offtake agreements, and key risk allocation [Archived]
ARCHIVED : This Practice Note is archived and is not being updated. Public Private Partnership (PPP) structures are widely used by governments to draw on private investment, expertise and risk in procuring infrastructure, with the prospect of delivering a project more efficiently and at lower cost. Among the most prevalent PPP approaches for procuring infrastructure projects is Build Operate Transfer (BOT). The particulars of a BOT arrangement vary according to the type and features of the project...
21 May
Read More
PRACTICE NOTES
UK merchant energy-from-waste contracts: procurement routes, funding, EPC/O&M and standard forms, risk allocation and key clauses, funder requirements, and Engie Fabricom guidance
EU ambitions to cut landfill disposal, together with advances in technology, spurred the roll-out of new waste infrastructure across the UK. Broadly, two principal contracting routes exist for such schemes: Waste Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) infrastructure contracts, which, from February 2025, are generally subject to the Procurement Act 2023. Existing PFI and Private Finance 2 (PF2) arrangements entered into before November 2018 continue to run Merchant waste infrastructure contracts A merchant contract is a binding agreement between a business (the merchant) and, commonly, an acquiring bank. Merchant waste schemes are those where the sponsor (or ‘acquiring bank’) is a private entity, for example the Green Investment Group. They may cover projects reliant on private, specialist feedstocks such as refuse derived fuel, commercial and industrial waste, and waste wood. This Practice Note concentrates on merchant waste infrastructure contracts. For details on waste PFI/PPP schemes, see Practice Note: Waste projects—waste PFI/PPP infrastructure projects. For general background on waste projects, including...
22 May
Read More 
