PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND QUESTIONS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT by Adam ...

185 Pages·2014·2.49 MB·English

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND QUESTIONS IN PUBLIC
PROCUREMENT
by
Adam Williams

A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of
College for Design and Social Inquiry
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, Florida
August 2014
Copyright by Adam Williams 2014
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author wishes to acknowledge the National Institute of Governmental
Purchasing [NIGP] for their cooperation and support. Their willingness to provide
access to their membership played a vital role in the success of this dissertation
and will continue to play a role in the advances in research focusing on public
procurement. Additionally, the author would like to thank the Public Procurement
Research Center at Florida Atlantic University for their assistance in survey
administration and collection.
Finally, it is with much appreciation that the membership of the
dissertation committee is thanked. Their dedication to the advancements within
the field and the School of Public Administration program at Florida Atlantic
University made this dissertation possible.

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ABSTRACT

Author: Adam Williams

Title: Public-Private Partnerships and Questions in Public
Procurement

Institution: Florida Atlantic University

Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Hugh Miller

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Year: 2014

This study explores the connections of public procurement official
perceptions of public-private partnerships and their contracting decisions for
public infrastructure projects. Detailed discussion of previous scholarship and its
focus on policymaking and project evaluation of public-private partnerships
leaves a gap in the public policy process – implementation. Procurement officials
are presented in the role of policy implementers rather than agents in a principal-
agent approach. This attempts to address a shortcoming of the description that
these officials do nothing more than purchase. Arguments are put forth that these
officials are given additional levels of discretion when faced with contracting
decisions. Specifically, procurement officials observe that public-private
partnerships provide sets of project consequences.
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A survey instrument is designed to explore the differences in perceptions
that procurement officials have with respect to public-private partnerships and
traditional contracting out. Survey failures result in findings only being able to
attempt a more general view of public-private partnerships. Results allow
perceptions to be placed in a decision-making model based on a project phase
approach that develops on the assumption that tasks contracted to private
vendors produce project consequences. Furthermore, analysis of significant
consequence perceptions indicate that those perceptions do not provide a
rationale for a procurement official’s decision-making on whether to contract
using a public-private partnership for public infrastructure projects. Independent
sample t-tests, controlled correlations, multiple ANOVA and linear regression
analyses show that perceptions of consequences, the perceptions of differences
of those consequences across project phases, relationships of consequences to
perceptions of efficiency and effectiveness proxies and a bounded rationality-
based model of decision-making for procurement officials are all inconclusive.
Discussion focuses on the development of consequences and phases as
defining and clarifying public-private partnerships. Further discussions are
presented for procurement officials with respect to their decision-making and
possible role as policy implementers. Conclusions fail to uncover any inferential
results. The research finds its primary contribution in the conceptual discourse of
public procurement official roles and public-private partnership definitions.

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PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND QUESTIONS IN PUBLIC
PROCUREMENT

LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………………….xi
LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………….xii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………..1
Overview of the Problem and Research Focus……………………………………...4
Intended Research Questions……...………………………………………….9
Overview of the Methodology, New Research Questions and
Hypotheses………………………………………..……………………10
Importance of the Research…………………………………………….........15
Scope of the Study…………………………………………………………….16
Summary and Looking Ahead………………………………………………..17
CHAPTER 2: REVIEWING PARTNERSHIPS………………………...……………20
Previous Literature…………………………………………………………….20
Public Infrastructure…………………………………………………...21
Defining the Undefinable? Public-Private Partnerships……………23
Terms, Terms and More Terms………………………………………28
Seeing the Outcomes of Public-Private Partnership……………….29
Conceptualizing Partnerships and Procurement Decisions……………….34
Discretion in the Eyes of Procurement………………………………35
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Summary………………………………………………………………….........39
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………..40
Review of Research Questions and Hypotheses…………………….........40
Model and Assumptions………………………………………………………42
Surveying the NIGP……………………………………………………………45
Data and Variables…………………………………………………………….55
Methods…………………………………………………………………………60
One Independent Sample t-test……………………………………...60
Controlled Pearson’s Correlations…………………………………...61
Multiple Analysis of Variance…………………………………………63
Linear Regression and Assumption Diagnostics…………………...64
Validity…………………………………………………………………….........69
Limitations of Methods………………………………………………………...69
Summary………………………………………………………………….........71
CHAPTER 4: SEEING CONSEQUENCES DIFFERENTLY………………………73
Results from Consequence Perceptions t-tests……………………………74
Planning Phase………………………………………………………...74
Financing Phase……………………………………………………….78
Designing Phase……………………………………………………….81
Building Phase…………………………………………………………82
Operating Phase……………………………………………………….84
Maintaining Phase……………………………………………….........86
Collecting Phase……………………………………………………….88
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Efficient and Effective Consequences?.....................................................91
Efficiency Results………………………………………………..........92
Effectiveness Results………………………………………………….94
Multiple ANOVA Results………………………………………………………97
Summary………………………………………………………………….......100
CHAPTER 5: PREDICTING PARTNERSHIPS…………………………………...102
Preferring Partnerships?.........................................................................106
Phase In, Phase Out…………………………………………………….......112
Summary………………………………………………………………….......116
CHAPTER 6: HAS ANYTHING BEEN DETERMINED?....................................118
Public-Private Partnership Themes………………………………………...119
Project Consequences………………………………………………120
Project Phases and the Phase Approach………………………….122
Public Procurement Officials………………………………………………..124
Decision-making Process……………………………………….......124
Policymaker-Implementer Relationship……………………………126
Summary………………………………………………………………….......129
CHAPTER 7: FINAL THOUGHTS………………………………………………….131
General Takeaways………………………………………………………….131
Research Limitations………………………………………………………...135
Future Scholarly Endeavors…………………………………………….......137
Summating Thoughts………………………………………………………..139
APPENDICES………………………………………………………………………...141
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APPENDIX A. IRB APPROVAL…………………………………………….141
APPENDIX B. SURVEY INSTRUMENT…………………………………..142
APPENDIX C. CONSENT FORM…………………………………………..154
APPENDIX D. NONRESPONSE BIAS…………………………………….155
REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………….157

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