Public-Private Partnerships - The Institute for Public-Private Partnerships® a Tetra Tech Company

Certified Public-Private Partnership Specialist

The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Certified Specialist Program was developed by The Institute for Public-Private Partnerships® (IP3) to establish standards of knowledge, understanding, and skills development in the PPP field that are highly valued by governments, private sector firms, financial institutions, and other relevant stakeholders.

We aim to foster worldwide excellence in the design, financing, procurement, implementation, and monitoring of PPP programs through standards that are widely recognized and consistently applied. We do this by successfully identifying, defining, documenting, and championing industry-accepted best practice approaches to PPP project development and transfer this knowledge participants through education and training.

An IP3 PPP Specialist certification validates a breadth of knowledge acquired through immersive training in PPP project structure.

Specialists will acquire skills including:

  • Developing PPP policy and institutional framework 
  • Identifying, screening, and selecting projects
  • Analyzing project feasibility (technical, economic, tariff, and project financing)
  • Structuring project finance and risk allocation strategies
  • Preparing transaction bids and tenders
  • Utilizing negotiation skills 
  • Evaluating, negotiating, and awarding project bids
  • Monitoring performance, contract compliance, and dispute resolution
  • Raising public awareness and consulting with stakeholders
Certified Public-Private Partnership Specialist Exam

The IP3 Public-Private Partnership Specialist Certification is achieved by completing 24 CEUs in the PPP track and a final exam. CEUs may be acquired through both online and in-person training.

The exam is administered online through the IP3 Learning System and can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks to complete. This open-book exam is graded by an independent evaluator who is an expert in the field of PPPs.

The final exam is comprised of the following elements:

  • Eleven one-page essay questions
  • One action plan (six steps, 7-10 page finished product)
    1. Identify the problem or opportunity statement for the action plan.
    2. Create an action plan title, develop a mission statement, set goals, and develop a description.
    3. List and rank performance indicators and stakeholders.
    4. Prepare a work plan (schedule) for action plan implementation.
    5. Identify the resource requirements.
    6. Bring the above together as a final product

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Get Started With an Associate Certificate

Achieving your PPP Specialist Certification takes time. Show your progress with IP3’s associate certificates.

Earn your associate certificate in PPP Legal Agreements, Project Management, Controls and Arbitration, or Procurement. Complete PPP Strategies, Methods, and Project Structuring online or in-classroom (6 CEUs) and the associated course of your chosen field (6 CEUs) for a total of 12 CEUs.

Then Choose Your Specialist Certification Track

Legal

Prepare yourself and your team to negotiate and implement sound PPP and concession contracts. This specialist track deepens participants’ understanding of the critical elements of successful contracts, risk allocation, and effective negotiation.

This program focuses on addressing corruption and dissuading its use, resolving conflicts, and renegotiating contracts. It will also describe the key financing agreements typically required by lenders in project finance transactions with discussions centering around risk and mitigation techniques and how to handle contract disputes best.

IP3 Certified PPP Specialists in the Legal track are prepared to plan, create, and manage PPP contracts after signing. They are also enabled to effectively negotiate and communicate to plan, monitor, and evaluate these projects.

Courses include:

Project Finance

IP3 Certified PPP Specialists in the Project Finance track possess practical, process-oriented knowledge in conducting VfM analyses, structuring a PPP transaction appropriately, and action planning.

This program addresses implementation issues often encountered in PPPs. The discussion focuses on the project implementation unit’s role, the development and execution of a project implementation plan, the tracking and updating of the risk profile of the project, and the ongoing validation of the value for money (VfM) parameters.

PPP Project Finance Specialists from ministries of finance, public agencies, and state-owned enterprises involved in delivering public infrastructure are prepared to use public-private partnerships without adversely affecting fiscal sustainability. Additionally, they understand and can effectively implement the PPP fiscal risk assessment model (PFRAM) developed by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Courses include:

Create Your Own PPP Specialist Track

At IP3, your learning path is up to you!

We offer a vast catalogue of Public-Private Partnership courses to build your own PPP Specialist Certification program and gain the knowledge you need to support your organization’s PPP efforts.

Whether you’re looking for a well-rounded approach to PPP expertise, need to focus on regulation and utility management or procurement, or want to explore how unsolicited proposals can move more infrastructure projects forward, your learning track is in your hands.

Courses include:

Upcoming Public-Private Partnership Courses