Working with PUK
A dedicated permanant centre of expertise
PUK is a dedicated and permanent centre of expertise available to the public sector. We provide senior strategic support to public bodies, sharing responsibility for delivering successful partnership solutions, from the appointment and management of advisers to the scoping, development, troubleshooting and negotiation of value for money projects.
We can share risk with our public sector partners by investing our own capital and human resources in projects and programmes, including the provision of senior members of staff for key roles, and we therefore have a common interest with our partners in delivering successful outcomes.
Our activities include advice to government on the development of policy and regulatory compliance, setting up and co-sponsoring programmes for the delivery of public services, supporting individual major projects and investing to enable the commercialisation of public sector assets.
A helpdesk free at point of use for the public sector
Our services to the public sector are paid for at the point of use. The exception to this is in the case of Development Partnership Agreements where we act as co-sponsors.
For general enquiries and project related issues on PFI/PPP related matters, PUK operates a help desk, free at the point of use, to departments and public sector bodies and may also be accessed by the private sector.
You can contact the helpdesk on 020 7273 8384/8383 or by email at helpdesk@partnershipsuk.org.uk.
Government departments engaging with PUK
We have established Framework Agreements with most government departments to allow our services to be procured quickly and efficiently. These were set up when PUK was created in 2000 and have recently been renewed. Agencies, Trading Funds and NDPBs are generally covered through the Frameworks. Individual commissions will generally be engaged by way of call-off from the Framework Agreements, using established day rates or fixed fees.
Local authorities engaging with PUK
For local authorities and bodies not covered by the Framework contracts, PUK will generally be engaged on a sole tender basis or through a Development Partnership Agreement . Because of its unique status and public mission PUK will not generally compete for work with private sector organisations.
PUK as co-sponsor: Development Partnership Agreements
PUK has a special right under European Procurement Regulations to enter into Development Partnership Agreements (DPAs) with any public sector organisation to support individual procurements without the authority having to compete the role. DPAs take the form of an agreement with the procuring authority based on pro-forma through which we become a co-sponsor of the procurement. This means that we will put our returns at risk against the successful completion of the procurement and will exercise a commensurate level of joint control over the process, thereby fully aligning our interest with the authority. We will then only be paid only on successful completion of the project or if it is cancelled for policy reasons.
For further information contact the helpdesk on 020 7273 8384/8383 or by email at helpdesk@partnershipsuk.org.uk.