This paper was presented at the "Privatized maintenance : making it work" session. These proceedings are available on CD-ROM. Privatization is one of the key initiatives seen by governments as a way of potentially improving the highway "bang for the buck" thoughout the world. This paper reviews privatization of maintenance operations on major primary highway networks in Canada and Australia. It also comments on the progress of privatization across the world. The paper starts with a literature review of highway maintenance privatization throughout the world and some preliminary conclusions from that literature review. The paper then covers the specific aspects of the highway network and operating environment within Canada and Australia. The options that can be considered by an Agency during the development of a privatization strategy are then discussed. The recommended components of a privatization strategy implementation are the main focus of this paper. The paper concludes that a strategy should encompass industry consultation; employee consultation; specification development; a code of conduct; fostering innovation; implementation of partnering; and a detailed 'fit for purpose' selection process to determine the successful contractor. (A)
Samenvatting