Determinant Features to Reduce the Infrastructure Gap in Saudi Arabia under a Public–Private Partnership Scheme

Abstract

Saudi Arabia is forecast to develop a significant number of infrastructure projects, as recorded in its strategy Saudi Vision 2030. To implement this strategy, the country intends to leverage public–private partnerships. This research has various goals. Firstly, it intends to identify the determinant features (DFs) that may facilitate the population of private–public partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) through the opinions of PPP experts. Second, it aims to analyse these opinions through a statistical approach. The research used the following methodologies: the development of a survey amongst sectorial experts, with a total of 45 valid responses; a statistical characterisation of the responses; and an exploratory factor analysis to determine the minimum number of factors explaining the proposed objectives. The findings of the research revealed that the five most relevant factors were the availability and effectiveness of a proper regulatory and legal framework; adequate risk allocation and sharing among project stakeholders; a straightforward project brief and client outcomes; the comprehensive and business viability of project feasibility studies; and finally, the assurance that proper project value management systems are in place during different project stages. As its principal contribution, this study finds, based on the experts’ opinions, that KSA should consider the mentioned determinant factors to ensure that PPP plays the expected role in the provision of infrastructure.