Public-Private Collaboration Models and Sourcing Pathways for School Connectivity
Scope
Team
Overview
Governments increasingly source projects with private-sector partners to address societal challenges and provide complex services such as connectivity in remote areas. These projects raise complex governance issues and may prioritize different goals (e.g., accessibility, affordability, longevity of provision, and quality). As a result, there are many different archetypes for structuring these projects, which may vary in terms of features such as provider ownership, interaction intensity, policymaker control, centralization, and performance evaluation.
Background
While prior research shows that different design characteristics for such projects exist (George et al., 2024; Quélin et al., 2017), little is known about how these distinct design characteristics shape stakeholders' early decisions about engaging with them. This study examines how different types of stakeholders engage with, and prefer, distinct organizational archetypes for such projects, and how these preferences depend on the goals they aim to achieve.
Research Questions
What alternative models exist beyond traditional procurement approaches for structuring publicprivate collaborations to source (school) connectivity?
How can stakeholders move beyond conventional procurement mechanisms to design offerings that better align with policymakers’ priorities, operational realities, and long-term needs?
How do distinct organizational design characteristics shape stakeholder engagement in connectivity sourcing projects?
How does such engagement vary depending on the underlying goals being prioritized?
Preliminary insights
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Connectivity initiatives must be designed in line with their intended goals, as they require different combinations of partners, governance arrangements, financing mechanisms, and procurement approaches.
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Effective partnerships for sourcing connectivity extend beyond government agencies and private service providers, depending instead on a broader ecosystem of stakeholders.
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Expanding connectivity requires a shared understanding of connectivity gaps as a catalyst for action.
Quotes
Hon. Neema Lugangira
Secretary General of the Women Political Leaders and a former member of the Parliament of Tanzania
“The advantages are clear because on one hand, we have the government providing policy direction and legitimacy, or legislation. And then, on the other hand, we have the private sector that brings in innovation and infrastructure. But then we also have development partners who bring in the technical skill set and funding, and not forgetting the community.”
Zoran Bunčić
Chief Information Officer
“First of all, it was necessary to create a shared vision of the project, to be the ideas and to communicate what do we want to achieve by this. So when the vision was shared and communicated with all the participants in this project, then everything went, so let's say, more smoothly."