The results
The project was part funded via the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF) and is publicly endorsed by the various regional development banks. The project outcomes included a free Body of Knowledge called the PPP Guide.
APMG developed and published a website which hosts the PPP Guide and a free online training course to prepare candidates with everything they need to know to pass the Foundation level exam. APMG also set the standards for accrediting trainers to ensure professionals taking a CP3P training course receive a consistently high experience which is aligned to the syllabus.
Against this backdrop, APMG established a partnership with the World Bank Group (WBG) to create a new qualification program for people working with Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).
Managing a Community Sourced Body of Knowledge
Over 100 PPP professionals across the globe contributed their ideas and expertise to the Body of Knowledge, which covers multiple areas of expertise comprising finance, technical, economical, legal and social, political and environmental aspects.
APMG invited contributions from the PPP community and coordinated the content to create the PPP Guide, which presents solid concepts and best practices with excellent examples. The content is available to download via ppp-certification.com
Building an accessible website
PPP professionals work in virtually every country across the globe so it was important that the information was available for free and accessible by as many people as possible, regardless of the technological maturity of a country's digital infrastructure and language.
To host the PPP Guide, APMG’s skilled in-house web team developed a website which quickly become the hub for PPP professionals seeking knowledge and advice.
It was also important that there were no unnecessary barriers for users to access knowledge such as collection of personal data, or the requirement to download files, which may be blocked by firewalls, or made difficult by low bandwidth. The architecture of the website reflected the specific needs of the user and how they would access content. The website is WCAG compliant and is regularly tested and updated by the APMG web team to ensure that users can access and interact with the website.
It was also important that the community could contribute ideas to the PPP Guide. The website was built with user feedback in mind, containing the functionality to gather feedback.
Fair and accessible testing for users
The exams are available in nine languages, providing greater choice and accessibility for candidates. Exams can be sat remotely, or in a traditional classroom setting using a classic paper test. The exams use a psychometric testing method which is mandated by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for accreditation of schemes against ISO 17024.
Candidates are supported by a free online training course hosted on the website which was developed with consideration that users accessing the internet may have low bandwith.
Creating a Body of Knowledge
The website PPP-Certification.com quickly became the hub for PPP professionals seeking knowledge and advice. With over 1 million downloads, the PPP Guide is now the go-to reference for PPP professionals seeking information and advice such as how to structure a PPP. The website also collects feedback from the PPP community which is used to inform further iterations of the Body of Knowledge.
To democratise knowledge it was important that the BoK is available free of charge. The principles and models in the BoK have been used by trainers and professionals across the globe to to convey knowledge across a range of subjects including planning and funding, tendering, contracts, operating and maintaining projects.