Despite the uncertainty concerning economic development in the near future currently dominating the headlines, it can be assumed that governments at the federal, state, and municipal levels will all be increasing their efforts to compile investment packages which will promote the economy. This will make it necessary for the business world and government administration to cooperate more intensively than they ever have in the past. More and more cooperative ventures with the label “PPP” (public private partnership), a term which has become widely known, will spring up with the aim of engaging private enterprises, at least at times, to perform public services either partially or completely.[1]

In the ideal case, PPPs result in a win-win situation for everyone involved:

- Private investors see an opportunity to develop additional business fields and establish profitable business models.

- Public authorities have the opportunity to encourage investments and to withdraw, at least in part, from areas in which private enterprises can perform the services with greater efficiency.

- Citizens profit because they obtain services which are performed more economically and are consequently available at more favorable prices.   

Besides sectors such as municipal utilities and waste management and the operation of health care facilities, areas for which PPPs come into question include partnerships for business promotion, transportation infrastructure projects and other projects for infrastructure development, and especially the set-up and operation of complex IT systems.    

Specific demands on the management of PPP projects   

In view of the need to support economic development on the one hand and the high indebtedness on the other, it is only logical that the government will push forward as an initiator of PPP activities. Moreover, it can be seen that the development in this direction is still comparatively low-key in Germany. In contrast to Great Britain, for example, where more than 18% of all of the investments being made are flowing into PPPs, the corresponding ratio in Germany is less than 5%.