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PPP = Prolonged, Painful, and Pointless. But not this time. Somehow, against all odds, cultures, and acronyms… The New Royal Adelaide Hospital in South Australia didn’t just avoid disaster — it delivered. Let me break it down for you:
The predictions? “Too complex.” But guess what? They finished it. And not just finished — they pulled off a clinical-grade, digitally-integrated, energy-efficient mega-hospital that actually works. The secret sauce?
Crazy, right? How couldn’t I have thought about it? A PPP that respected scope, handled conflict like grown-ups, and even came out functional on the other side. How could it be possible… Anyway. Some still say it was luck. I say it was proof that PPPs can work… if you don’t staff them with saboteurs. Do you want some blood? Take a look to the lessons below?
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January 2018. London. Whittington Hospital. A fire. It was controlled. Patients evacuated. The hospital continued operating. Crisis over? Not even close. The fire exposed a much bigger problem. There were serious disagreements. Condition of the building. The fire safety defects. Who was contractually responsible for fixing them. Etc. The NHS Trust said the PFI company had failed to remedy the problems. The PFI company disagreed. A “mis huevos” (ego battle) situation… Payments were withheld....
You opened the project on time. Construction is finished. The ribbon has been cut. The lenders are happy. The Board can finally breathe. And then operations begin. Good for you. This is what we want to be in a big project. A few months pass by, and suddenly you realize that you are handling a different kind of monster. The subcontractor starts interpreting the contract in its favour. Small issues become recurring issues. Performance reports say everything is fine, while cash is slowly leaking...
Everyone speaks confidently. Everyone uses acronyms. And you are trying to work out whether you have missed something obvious. Suddenly, someone expects you to have a view. Sh*t… The problem is not that you are not capable. The problem is that nobody ever taught deep how PPPs really work. Not the theory. The decisions, traps, negotiations and mistakes that can define an entire career. Stop trying to learn PPPs one painful meeting at a time. Start thinking like a leader. Not how to sound...