All posts by Calecon

Perth & Kinross – New Bertha Park High School Financial Close

The procurement of the new Bertha Park High School by Perth & Kinross Council reached financial close on 27 September 2017 . Built to accommodate pupil generated by the rapid expansion of the city, the new school will be developed under a single compact PPP contract between the Council and  hub East Central Scotland.

As the public sector Financial Transaction Adviser on this PPP we supported the Council’s in-house team and were responsible for assessing financial submissions from the private sector partner. This included confirming that returns, margins and fees are in line with the market and consistent with pre-agreed levels.  We worked closed with technical specialists to calibrate the payment mechanism, and supported commercial negotiations.

Caledonian Economics Review of Operational PPP Projects

Caledonian Economics helps Local Authorities, Health Agencies and National Government develop and deliver excellent PPP projects.  We work at all stages of the PPP process: PPP strategy development, business cases, financial modelling, transaction support, Operational PPP performance improvement, rescue of distressed projects, and Public Sector training and capacity building.

Many of the projects we have supported have been open and operating successfully for ten years or more.  The senior public sector officials who have been responsible for these projects are  uniquely experienced to comment on the most effective approaches to long term management of PPP projects.

We spoke to ten of these public sector professionals, asked about their experiences, and discussed what advice they would give to new projects, now and in the future.

In our new report on Operational PPP projects, we ask seven key questions about the effectiveness of PPP Management, and identify important lessons.  You can read what we found out in our new report by downloading it here: Caledonian Economics Report on Operational Projects.

Caledonian Economics PPP Masterclasses

IMG_1915Senior public sector officials from central government departments in Beijing and several Chinese provinces including Jinan, Guangzhou and Hebei have taken part in our PPP Masterclasses this month.  This follows events we have run previously for government officials in Latvia and Uruguay and of course many training and development events in Scotland.

Our bespoke events draw from a menu of knowledge areas that covers all financial and commercial aspects of Public Private Partnerships.  They  provide an ideal opportunity to learn and share expertise that equip participants will skills to develop robust projects which deliver real social and economic benefits.

Our Event Leaders include some of the most experienced PPP practitioners in the world.  This professional team has worked at every stage in the PPP development process including sectoral strategy  development, feasibility and planning, transaction support, operational performance improvement, and rescue of distressed PPP projects.

Please contact us if you would like to know more about how we can help you shape better projects.

 

PPP in Scotland and Uruguay – APP en Escocia y Uruguay

Scotland and Uruguay have much in common including a strong ethic of equality and social justice.

As Uruguay begins a programme of school PPP projects, Martin Finnigan was invited by Sunny Sky Solutions to give his thoughts on what this charming Latin American country might earn from the Scottish experience.

Click here to read more.

Escocia y Uruguay tienen mucho en común, incluyendo una fuerte ética de igualdad y justicia social.

Mientras Uruguay comienza un programa de proyectos APP escolares, Martin Finnigan fue invitado por Sunny Sky Solutions a dar sus pensamientos sobre lo que este encantador país latinoamericano podría ganar de la experiencia escocesa.

Haga clic aquí para leer más.

 

Dumfries and Galloway Schools PPP – Operational Support

We have been reappointed to provide financial advisory support to Dumfries and Galloway Council for the operational phase of the Smarter Schools PPP project.

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Stranraer Academy, refurbished and extended

This project was signed in 2008 and all eleven schools were operational by 2010.  The project was financed by a £127 million facility provided by HSBC and the European Investment Bank.

This reappointment continues our long relationship with the Council which spanned the project business case, tender preparation and evaluation, financial close, and project effectiveness assignments during the operational phase.

Published articles on developments in Social Infrastructure PPPs

Scotland has a great record of evolving PPP models to suit particular geographic, social and political conditions going back almost two decades.  Meanwhile, recent developments in Wales are breaking new ground.

In two articles recently published on the FOMIN/Inter-American Development Bank and World Bank blogs, Martin Finnigan and Michael Walker explain some of the nuances and make the case for applying such models more widely.

NHS Orkney New Hospital – Financial Close

building

Caledonian Economics would like to congratulate NHS Orkney, Robertson Capital Projects and the project team on reaching financial close and signing the contracts for the New Orkney Hospital and Healthcare Facility. 

With colleagues from QMPF we have been working with NHS Orkney for several years to support the business case and subsequent procurement under a variant of the Scottish PPP/NPD model.        

The new Rural General Hospital will have 49 inpatient beds covering acute, cancer & palliative care, maternity and rehabilitation  and will host a variety of services including two GP Practices, Dental and support services.  When it opens in 2019 it will provide a state of the art modern building which will enhance the services staff can offer, utilising technology and the improved facilities.

More details here: http://www.ohb.scot.nhs.uk/new-hospital-and-healthcare-facilities 

This continues Caledonian Economics’ long association with Orkney, having previously supported Orkney Islands Council on the procurement of the new Kirkwall Grammar School and Theatre, Pickaquoy Leisure Pool and Stromness Primary School, using a unique variant of the PPP structure.

Infradeals Rank Calecon 1st global for PPP social deals.

Infradeals published their 2016  and Global PPP and Infrastructure advisor league tables in January. 

With 11 signed deals at a value of $453 million, Caledonian Economics ranked first Financial Advisers to the public sector side of social infrastructure deals. 

Calec Global PPP Social Infra ranking

 

New West Calder High School Reaches Financial Close

West Lothian Council’s procurement of the new West Calder High School from hub South East reached Financial Close today, 14 December 2016.

This is the eleventh such Financial Close using the Scottish hub/DBFM PPP financing model that Caledonian Economics has advised on this year.

The new high school building has been designed to meet modern access requirements and support inclusion of pupils with additional learning needs in line with the ‘presumption of mainstream’.

The new location  will enable greater community access to the very high standard of facilities, particularly physical education facilities for community use outwith core school hours.

 

NHS Grampian – Foresterhill and Inverurie Health Centres – Financial Close

We would like to congratulate NHS Grampian on achieving Financial Close (on 5 December 2016) with hub North Scotland Ltd on the project to build new health centres in Inverurie and Foresterhill (Aberdeen) using the hub/DBFM/PPP structure.

The total construction cost of around £22 million will be funded by institutional debt from Aviva, and subordinated debt from Currie & Brown Equitix, Galliford Try Investments, NHS Grampian, the Scottish Government and the Hub Charitable Foundation. 

We advised NHS Grampian throughout the procurement up to and including financial close.  Our responsibilities included assessing the financial submissions from the private sector partner, confirming levels of private sector returns, margins and fees, payment mechanism calibration, and support of commercial negotiations.

The Foresterhill Health Centre is being built within the site of Aberdeen General Hospital, adjacent to the Anchor Cancer Care Centre.  It proximity will allow excellent liaison between Primary care and specialist services.

Inverurie Health Centre is home to the largest single General Practitioner practice in Scotland with around 21,000 registered patients, projected to rise to 30,000 by 2021.  The new health centre will be a major improvement on the existing facility.  At around 3,500 square metres, it will have space to incorporate community health services such as dental and community maternity provision. There will also be an energy centre as part of the development.