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First week of “relax” and meetings to celebrate my well-deserved holidays. Having been for so long on the infrastructure world, logically I’ve been catching up and meeting people from banks, private equity firms and infrastructure investors, in general. In a coffee with investors talking about how I could help them in the future, I was asked something like… why would I be a good advisor for them. I was thinking that we were practising the art of conversation and coffee tasting and this caught me totally out of guard. “Because I scored you many goals” – without thinking. ​ Not the best answer, I’m afraid, but they loved it, and we could continue our coffee. And you know that I love coffee… Well… I correct. You know that I love good coffee… ​ And why did they like my answer? Well… This is a constant in business. ​ If you wonder, why the FBI uses hackers to protect their IT system or help them to “spy” on others’ computers… well… I’m sure you can guess. The best security guys can perfectly be former robbers. So, I guess that someone wanting to buy infrastructure, or any other thing would love to have a seller from the other site of the table advising them. I know where all the tricks and flaws could be in an asset. I’ve delivered many. It’s like buying a house… you would love to have a former real estate agent with you. Don’t you? ​ If so, and you want to learn a few tricks about infrastructure, you need to take a look to this. ​The 15 Top Lessons of a PPP Project Nightmare - The audiobook​ ​ PD 1: If you liked this email, don't keep it in secret and forward it to a friend. They will thank you enormously one day. PD 2: If somebody has sent you this email and you want to receive emails like this yourself, visit vicentevalencia.com PD 3: If you want unsubscribe, click the link below. ​ ​ |
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Many people challenge my preferred RFP strategy for PPPs: “Pre-qualify strong consortia, set a minimum technical pass/fail, and award to the best NPV bidder? They’ll just bid low and renegotiate later!” I get it. That tactic has been abused in Latin America for years. But we need to ask: Why has +20% (often +50%, +100%, +200%) become almost inevitable there? Let’s look at the real causes: Why PPP prices skyrocket after award 1) Renegotiation is systemic. In transport PPPs, up to 78% of...
Africa. Mid-2010s. You’re in the middle of a multibillion-dollar PPP. Your consortium is assembled. Your lenders are mobilized. Your bid team is burning cash like Tesla compensating executives… The agency launches the RFP. Everyone is excited. A fair, competitive process… in theory. And then it starts: Deadline extended. “More time to refine proposals,” they say. Another extension. Silence. And then another. “These guys don’t seem ready” Drop a new batch of documents in the data room. (Oh,...
January 5th. In Spain and many parts of the world, kids go to sleep excited because the Three Wise Men are coming with toys. Meanwhile… in Australia… a mega-project disaster. Hobart, 1975 – 9:27 PM The Tasman Bridge. A massive concrete jewel connecting both sides of the Derwent River. Strong. Modern. Safe. Until a bulk carrier called Lake Illawarra hit one of its piers. Concrete collapsed. Cars fell into the void without even seeing it. Twelve lives lost. A city cut in half for more than two...