Public private partnerships haven’t had a lot of good press recently. The collapse of Carillion of course generated thousands of column inches in its own right, but it also sparked interest once again in other forms of partnership, including the often-derided private finance initiative (PFI).

Carillion’s demise is a tragedy for those involved, although the anticipated impacts or cost to the public purse are difficult to predict accurately. We must learn from the mistakes made and the parliamentary enquiry will shed further light on the case. However public private partnerships remain a great route to deliver benefits that no single organisation or sector would be capable of, if acting alone.

The work we facilitated at Westfield Stratford City and the wider Olympic site is an example of a project which realistically would not have happened without public sector involvement.

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