UK shares Public-Private Partnerships expertise with Thailand
Infrastructure UK visits Thailand to share experiences on public-private financing and implementing of economic and social infrastructure projects.
Infrastructure UK , under Her Majesty’s Treasury (the British Government’s Finance Ministry), visits Thailand as a part of a regional visit which includes Indonesia and the Philippines. The British Embassy in collaboration with Thailand’s State Enterprise Policy Office, Ministry of Finance, hosted a seminar on ‘Public Private Partnerships (PPP) – Sharing UK and Thai experiences and expertise’ on 15 January 2015. The seminar included sessions by Infrastructure UK, James Ballingall, Head of International, and Javier Encinas, Deputy Director, to share UK experiences on development of PPPs in the UK and around the world, recent developments and lesson learnt. Distinguished speakers from Grant Thornton, Allen&Overy and Arcadia also shared insights from private sector perspectives.
Mark Kent, British Ambassador to Thailand, and Kulit Sombatsiri, Director-General of State Enterprise Policy Office gave speeches at the opening.
Mark Kent, British Ambassador to Thailand, said:
PPP will not only offer an alternative funding option and procurement method for financing and implementing projects, but is an approach a government can implement so it can work with the private sector on infrastructure, services and maintenance.
The UK is a pioneer in the delivery of public infrastructure and services with private participation, and has a long history of mobilising private capital. More than 730 PFI contracts have been signed in the UK and over 660 projects are operational with a capital value of over £54bn. We are here today to share this world-leading expertise with Thailand.
Kulit Sombatsiri, Director-General of State Enterprise Policy Office, said:
State Enterprise Policy Office covers a wide range of responsibilities relating to the country’s state enterprises and also the promotion and facilitation of the partnership. The PPP unit within the State Enterprise Policy Office serves as a back office propelling the National PPP Committee’s work and takes on many important tasks including formulating the Strategy Plan, giving consultation on the projects, sharing knowledge and information with diverse organizations, both domestically and internationally, as well as serving as the focal point for the country’s PPP matter.
We have the confidence to say that PPP has indeed seen a growing trend in the country and that gaining a broader perspectives and international lessons learned would greatly yield to the sustainable development of the system in our environment. We are very much delighted to have Infrastructure UK here and we are sincerely grateful to receive the UK’s support on the matter. I really do hope that the coordination and relationships forged here will proceed long into the future.
Infrastructure UK and the State Enterprise Policy Office will conduct a workshop with the new PPP unit under the State Enterprise Policy on Friday 16 January 2015 at the Ministry of Finance to have a technical discussion on a holistic approach to policy, guidance and regulations.