Abstract: Purpose – The UK Government has now adopted Private Finance Initiative (PFI) as a major vehicle for the delivery of additional resources to the health sector in order to achieve a greater investment in healthcare facilities. The purpose of this paper is to examine the trends and risk assessment of the PFI in the healthcare sector. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employed secondary data and interviews of key participants in two hospital PFI projects to highlight developments in healthcare PFI and the risk management of hospital projects. Findings – The results show that the use of PFI in the provision of healthcare is increasing in terms of number, capital value and size of projects. What emerged in the healthcare PFI project was a usage of a plethora of risk management techniques, albeit to varying degrees. Experience appeared to be the prime risk assessment technique employed, while risk avoidance was first explored before pricing and allocating any residual risks. “Risk prompts”, such as using checklists and risk registers were also useful in the identification of risks. Among all participants, insurance cover and sub-contracting appear to be the most prominent strategies employed for managing out the risks. Originality/value – The negotiations that precede the signing of a healthcare PFI project contract had an impact on the final choice of facilities or their specifications. The two contracting parties sought a balance between an optimal allocation of risks, choice of facilities and project price. Although the risk management techniques being used are generic in nature, there is still no evidence at the moment to show that these are appropriate for PFI projects. It is important that further investigation is undertaken to assess the level of current skills in risk management techniques to deal with PFI projects and the extent to which these techniques are appropriate to tackle complex healthcare PFI projects. (Emerald Group Publishing Ltd.)

Jute geotextiles are widely used to stabilize steep banks and road cuttings. Jute protects bare surfaces until seeded grass becomes established, then after several years, the jute decays. To evaluate two types of jute geotextiles, eight erosion plots were established in July 1994 at the Hilton Experimental Site, Shropshire, UK. On 10 April 1995, the plots were treated as follows: (1) jute geotextile net; (2) jute mat; (3) perennial rye grass (Lolium perenne); and (4) bare soil, with duplicates of each treatment. Over one year, sediment yields from jute net and jute mat were 1.1% and 1.2%, respectively, of the yield from the bare control. Although both had similar soil protection qualities, runoff was very different. The runoff from the jute net was 35% and the jute mat 247% of the control. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of jute net for erosion and runoff control, while the jute mat may both conserve soil and 'harvest' rain or redirect runoff.

Due to reductions in domestic usage, legislation and changes in fuel use, coal derived particulates in the UK urban atmosphere have been significantly reduced. However, a large increase in road usage and an expansion in the use of diesel engines, has meant that the majority of particulates, now present in the urban atmosphere, originate from vehicle exhausts. Particulate matter, resulting from coal combustion, has been recorded as being present in black patinas observed on some historic stone buildings and monuments and has been associated with accelerated weathering of stone surfaces as a result of enhanced gypsum formation. In contrast, the effects of particulates resulting from vehicle exhaust on stone are much less understood. To investigate this, a comparative study was undertaken using the technique of microcatchments under ambient atmospheric conditions. This compared the elemental composition and volume of precipitation runoff from Portland Limestone coated with three different particulate treatments. Treatments consisted of coal and diesel particulates, both separately and in combination. Combining these treatments attempts to investigate any synergistic effects that may occur when coal derived particulates are overlain by layers formed by particulates from more contemporary sources. It was found that diesel-coated samples were much darker in appearance and showed a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in the overall rate of weathering loss when compared to untreated samples. Microcatchment runoff volume was reduced from diesel-coated Portland Limestone compared to untreated stone. Enhanced surface temperatures may be increasing the rate of moisture loss from the pore network between rainfall events. Since, generally, the pores must be full before runoff can occur, the reduction may be due to the differential volume of empty pore space between diesel-coated and untreated Portland Limestone.

Globalization of the world economy demands that performance comparisons are undertaken at an international level. A new research protocol has been developed for comparing contractor performance internationally by combining the appropriate characteristics of two established approaches in order to balance the requirements of comparability and representativeness. This new approach is used to reveal some important international performance characteristics among Japanese, UK and US contractors. Building costs in the UK, when adjusted for exchange rate fluctuations, are significantly higher than those in Japan and the USA. Furthermore, cost certainty and client satisfaction are higher in Japan than in the UK, but there is no significant difference between Japan and the USA. Disparities in cost performance between the three countries are believed to originate from differences in the relationships between contractors and clients and also in the construction process. (Routledge)

Provisions of JCT standard form on variations, including variations allowed, challenging variations and general scheme for valuation of variations, giving guidance on practical implications and how to deal with potential pitfalls.

The wherewithal of achieving best value in private finance initiative (PFI) projects and the associated problems therein are documented. In the UK, PFI has offered a solution to the problem of securing necessary investment at a time of severe public expenditure restraint. In PFI schemes, the public sector clients must secure value for money, while the private sector service providers must genuinely assume responsibility for project risks. A broad-based investigation into PFI risk management informs the discussion in this paper. It is based on 68 interviews with PFI participants and a case study of eight PFI projects. The research participants comprised of contractors, financial institutions, public sector clients, consultants and facilities management organizations. The qualitative software Atlas.ti was used to analyse the textual data generated. The analysis showed that the achievement of best value requirements through PFI should hinge on: detailed risk analysis and appropriate risk allocation, drive for faster project completion, curtailment in project cost escalation, encouragement of innovation in project development, and maintenance cost being adequately accounted for. Factors that continue to challenge the achievement of best value are: high cost of the PFI procurement process, lengthy and complex negotiations, difficulty in specifying the quality of service, pricing of facility management services, potential conflicts of interests among those involved in the procurement, and the public sector clients' inability to manage consultants. (Routledge)

The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 provides that a party to a construction contract has a right, at any time, to refer any dispute under the contract for adjudication. This resolution method requires a neutral third party, the adjudicator, to determine the dispute within 28 days after receipt of the referral regardless of the complexity of the issues in dispute. The decision is to be implemented even if it is palpably wrong in fact or law. A key assumption of this legislation is that any mistakes made by an adjudicator can be corrected by reference of the same to litigation or arbitration. It is a major concern that restoration of the parties to their correct positions may become impossible where, after implementation of an adjudicator's mistaken decision, the beneficiary of the decision becomes insolvent. This article is a critical review of all the cases in which the courts have dealt with the effect of insolvency on the right to adjudicate and the enforceability of adjudicators' decisions. Two main conclusions are derived from the review. First, the court may decline to enforce an adjudicator's payment decision where there is strong evidence that, on account of formal insolvency, the payee would be unable to make repayment if final resolution of the dispute necessitates it. Second, the only exception so far to the general right to refer to adjudication arises where the other party is in administration. (Taylor & Francis)

The optimisation of risk transfer and risk management in ‘Private Finance Initiative’ (PFI) projects involves the accurate assessment of these risks. The manner in which risks are analysed and the extent, to which this function is outsourced in PFI projects, is examined in this article. The discussions are informed by an investigation conducted at Glasgow Caledonian University. Literature was reviewed, upon which a survey instrument was developed. A qualitative methodology was adopted, and involved a total of 90 interviews with diverse PFI participants in the UK. The ‘AtlasTi’ software was utilised in the analysis of data. The interviews revealed that the bulk of the risk analysis function in PFI is usually done in-house, while a minor part is often outsourced to technical, legal and financial cum insurance experts. Other disciplines consulted, albeit occasionally, include traffic engineering, environmental science, planning and surveying. The objective is to outsource those aspects where in-house expertise is deficient. When tasked with risk analysis, consultants were adjudged to usually render a good job.

Despite palm-leaf geotextile mats having the potential to advance soil conservation technologies, field studies using geotextiles as complete cover and buffer strips in reducing rates of soil erosion by water are limited. Hence, the utilization of these mats as a potential soil conservation technique is investigated at Hilton, east Shropshire, UK (52°33′5.7″N, 2°19′18.3″W). Geotextile mats constructed from Borassus aethiopum (Borassus palm of West Africa) and Mauritia flexuosa (Buriti palm of South America) leaves are termed Borassus mats and Buriti mats, respectively. Field experiments have been conducted at Hilton since January 2007, to study the effects of emplacing Borassus and Buriti mats on the erosion of a loamy sand soil. Two sets (12 plots each) of experiments were established to study the effects of Borassus and Buriti mats on splash height and splash erosion. In both sets, 6 randomly-selected plots were completely covered with mats, and the rest were bare. Ten runoff plots (10 × 1 m on a 15° slope) were also established, with duplicate treatments to study the effectiveness of these mats for soil and water conservation. The treatments were: (i) bare soil; (ii) permanent grassed; (iii) bare soil with 1 m Borassus mat buffer zones at the lower end of the plots; (iv) bare soil with 1 m Buriti mat buffer zones at the lower end of the plots and (v) completely covered with Borassus mats. Results (during 22/01/07–21/01/08; total precipitation = 919.0 mm; n = 22 sets of measurements) indicate that Borassus mat-cover on bare soil significantly (P < 0.05) reduced total soil splash erosion by 90% compared with bare plots (24.81 kg m−2). Plots with Borassus mats had 51% less mean splash height than bare plots (n = 21 sets of measurements). However, Buriti mat-cover on bare soils had no significant (P < 0.05) effect on soil splash height or splash erosion. Results of runoff plots (08/01/07–14/01/08; total precipitation = 923.4 mm; n = 29 sets of measurements) showed permanent grass plots had the smallest runoff coefficient and the largest sediment yield reduction effectiveness (SYRE). Total runoff from the Borassus buffer zone plots (4.1 L m−2) was 83% less than the bare plots and total sediment yield was 93% less than the bare plots (2.32 kg m−2). Although, Borassus buffer zone plots had similar effects in reducing soil loss to Borassus completely-covered plots, the later treatment yielded 50% more runoff. Borassus buffer strip plots had less SYRE than the Buriti buffer zone plots. Mass per unit area and thickness of both geotextiles decreased after 3 months of surface application. However, moisture sorption depth and cover percentage of both geotextiles increased. Hence, it is recommended to cover palm-mat geotextiles as buffer strips for soil and water conservation on erodible moderate slopes.

The post-war decline in the area and diversity of neutral meadows in Britain, resulting from agricultural intensification, has prompted schemes to restore and create new habitats. Their success relies on understanding the relations between soil fertility and species diversity. We have investigated these relations, using multivariate analysis, in 28 semi-natural meadows and eight artificially created urban meadows. Mineralizable nitrogen was the most important soil characteristic in the semi-natural sites; the more N the soil contained the fewer were the species characteristic of traditional meadows. Both potassium and total magnesium favoured diversity, perhaps because their deficiency in many traditionally managed meadows jeopardizes the survival of broad-leaved species in competition with grasses. Available lead, at sub-lethal concentrations and measured as a Pb:Ca ratio, appeared to favour diversity in the semi-natural sites, possibly by inhibiting the uptake of P by competitive grasses and allowing the less competitive species associated with diversity to flourish. The main differences between the soils of the artificial and the semi-natural meadows were that the former contained more extractable P and less mineralizable N and organic matter. It seems that large soil phosphorus concentrations may be the main reason why relatively few species colonize or survive in grassland on many urban soils.