Another argument that of the maintenance

The two first public-private partnerships (PPP) of the Campus of university restructuring plan signed in July. For an amount of 68 million, Bouygues to build a library, a gymnasium and a cafeteria on site the Sorbonne Clignancourt in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. Attributed to da Vinci, the second contract of EUR 128 million will finance the completion of four new buildings of 44.500 m2dans left Tolbiac in Paris-Rive neighbourhood. These consortia investors, companies and a master's degree in work team will design, finance, building equipment and manage them for 30 years. In Exchange, the Ministry of higher education and research will pay their rent. All of the Campus plan should be financed according to this model, despite the opposition of some University Presidents. Their criticism, minimized before the crisis given the good health of the financial markets, are today more audible. They focus on the high cost of these projects.

Fragile balance

The recent difficulties of the banks have slowed their zeal to companies, to lend less for shorter and more expensive. What interest would then have communities to resort to private actors, themselves quite hesitant and unwilling to commit to several decades "The financial cost has certainly increased with the crisis, confirms Pierre Sorbets, responsible for the public sector at the bank HSBC France. But the PPP ensures the time frame within which we know that they always go wrong at the public markets. The risk of this side there is content, also spending. "Another argument: that of the maintenance. It is the maintenance and for financial reasons that the public sector shows its greatest weaknesses. The University heritage, in a deplorable state, is to testify.

The most expensive projects are down, except in respect of the recovery plan, who, as of February 2009, received the guarantee of the State. Can commit to total 10 billion euros, while facilitating the financing through the saving funds of the Fund of deposits and deposit and those of the European Investment Bank. "What financial product beautiful!, was he excited Denis Dessus, Vice President of the order of the architects in charge of the procurement." Not only competition is distorted, because only large companies can respond, but, increasingly, they are even more asked to assume the risks of the operation.

The second question relates to the "principle of immutability of the function" normally associated with these contracts included on hundreds of pages and in which everything must be provided. Is it possible, for a time t, to chart the future of equipment for thirty years and thus the freeze in the marble In the case of a system of lighting, why not Hospitals many of which are and will be built in PPP, the changes induced by advances in technology as in public health policy appeared the day after the signing. Even the academic buildings, simple in appearance, must be flexible and able to deploy in their lives.

Finally, the quality of architectural projects is a delicate subject. Each of the competing groups offers his own and refine it in an often interminable "competitive dialogue" with the public person. Once the project is ready, consortia present their final offer in which the financial terms and the future, critical operating conditions, are detailed. It is at this time and in the light of these complete records that the choice is made. "The quality of architectural design plays in this phase", confirms Eric Desplanches, Director for innovation and the Council of the Group Iosis, an Office for the study of building practice this "assistance to public". "It is prudent to implement the monitoring missions to check that, during construction, good intentions are not scanned by financial constraints." This is not because the contract is good should not control the execution. "This expert advocates a Council upstream, during construction and follow-up regular assessments during the operation. The order of architects would prefer to hold a contest and choose a project before groups competing for its realization. "It seems to me that the idea to work from the outset who is designing the building with the one who will build it and then maintain it could constitute a source of optimization", insists Eric Desplanches. Provided that the balances are respected. They are not always between, on the one hand, policy makers used to procedures of procurement and the other companies seasoned negotiation, financial savvy and the armies of lawyers.

Since the 2004 law authorizing public-private partnerships some 350 projects have been launched. Today, the real estate projects of several tens of millions of euros are possible. "The infrastructure or development work are much more complicated to set up." So far, the PPP seem the only way to achieve, explains François Bergère, the Secretary General of the PPP (MAPPP) assistance mission of the Ministry of finance. If expected budgetary provisions, it will still be there in five or ten years. "The tool is also used to alleviate the debt of small towns or large which would not have the means to afford equipment as the stage of 50.000 places of the urban community of Lille.