PPP is political. Innovation is often bullshit. Preferred bidder is where power shifts. Claims are part of the game. Long hours don’t mean value. Most people don’t understand the deal they’re working on. Risk allocation is everything. Relationships beat intelligence. Timing beats perfection. The best players think about the exit… from day one. If this makes you uncomfortable… good. That’s reality. Most people in this industry are busy.Very few are effective. And the gap between the two?...
1 day ago • 1 min read
You’re dropped into a project. No time. No context. “Figure it out.” Good. There are only 3 questions that matter. I repeat, only 3. Not 10 or 20. Just 3: What needs to be done? Who is doing it now? Is that the right person? That’s it. That’s the whole job. And by the way… That’s every serious managerial role. If you answer those 3 properly, you win. If you don’t… Welcome to the world of: Long hours. Endless meetings. Zero real progress. You’ll be stuck working on the 80%… That delivers 20%....
2 days ago • 1 min read
I get it. I’ve been CEO. I know what ego feels like. That urge to change things. To leave your mark. To justify the big salary. I get it. But changing things that already work? Just to prove you exist? No. That I don’t get. Look. I’ve been speaking with people across PPP and Real Estate. Different countries. Same story. “Like beheaded chickens.” Clients changing direction mid-procurement. Swapping teams halfway through. Rewriting strategy… in the middle of a transaction. Yes. That bad. Even...
3 days ago • 1 min read
Most consultants are expensive spectators. Nice slides.Clean Excel models.Zero impact. They show up.They talk.They disappear. And the project?Still stuck. In the mouse wheel… running but still in the same place. It may be the perverse incentive of maximizing gains by increasing scope and delaying everything… although that’s for another days. Look… In big projects, nobody pays you for your time.They pay you for one thing: Movement. Decisions made.Problems killed.Risks reduced.Money saved....
4 days ago • 1 min read
This is a nice week for me. Birthday and week of great decisions. Decisions on my businesses. Decisions on my investments. Important ones. You see… I feel butterflies in my stomach. Fear. Doubts. So, I know perfectly well that I’m growing. I’m making progress. Look. Matt Gray, someone you should follow on LinkedIn – it’s free and you’ll learn a lot from him – said the other day that your circle establishes your ceiling. Your boss. Your friends. Your business partners. Your colleagues. Etc....
5 days ago • 1 min read
I once said that Preferred Bidder is the most dangerous moment in a PPP. It’s like the moment that the shark attacks in Jaws… just when you expect it less… Everyone relaxes. Champagne glasses appear. LinkedIn posts multiply. “Proud to be part of the winning consortium.” Then reality walks into the room. Let’s talk about the Malaysia–Singapore High Speed Rail. A mega rail PPP. 350 km. High-speed trains. Two countries connected. Estimated cost: $15-20 billion. The type of project ministers...
7 days ago • 1 min read
Some of the worst PPPs in the world come from capital cities trying to look impressive. Huge buildings. Architectural statements. Politicians cutting ribbons. And budgets exploding. But some of the best PPPs? They come from places nobody talks about. Take Ferguson Place Recreation Centre PPP. It sits in Fort St. John, Canada… Oh Canada! Population: about 21,000 people. Not exactly Tokyo. The city needed something simple: A recreation centre. Swimming pools. Ice rinks. Fitness facilities....
8 days ago • 1 min read
A toll road. In one of the richest regions of Europe. Northern Italy. Lombardy. Industrial powerhouse. Traffic everywhere. What could possibly go wrong? The project was called the Autostrada Pedemontana Lombarda. A massive motorway designed to connect cities north of Milan and relieve congestion around the region. On paper, it looked like a dream. Economic powerhouse region. Millions of inhabitants. Constant truck traffic. Banks were queuing to through their money to the asphalt plant. Making...
9 days ago • 1 min read
The system worked perfectly. The satellites tracked the trucks. The software calculated the tolls. The invoices were ready. The gantries were already installed across France. 173 of them. Steel structures over highways, quietly waiting for trucks to pass and pay. The project cost almost €1 billion. It was called the Écotaxe Poids Lourds. The idea was simple. Heavy trucks should pay for using the roads. Especially foreign trucks crossing France. Elegant. Who would say no to such a great idea?...
10 days ago • 1 min read