A project success index for water and power public-private partnerships in Gulf Cooperation Council countries

Multiple GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries have faced budget deficits from 2014 onwards due to rising expenses and fluctuations in oil and gas prices. In response, these countries have increasingly adopted Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) as a cost-effective method for procuring infrastructure projects, particularly in the power and water sectors. However, the success of these projects has been inconsistent; while some are progressing as planned, others have experienced delays, legal challenges, or failed to achieve their intended objectives. Despite these varied outcomes, quantifying success has been challenging due to the absence of a dedicated assessment tool for PPPs in the region. This paper addresses this gap by developing a Project Success Index (PSI) tailored specifically for water and power PPPs in the GCC region. To facilitate practical application and ease of use, the PSI was incorporated into a user-friendly web application. The North Azzour Integrated Water and Power Plant (IWPP) is presented as a demonstration case, illustrating the tool's capacity to generate a quantitative measure of project success. The application of the PSI to this case highlights areas requiring improvement and offers valuable insights for policymakers and project stakeholders to enhance overall PPP success.