الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
This dissertation submits a comprehensive solution for a chronic challenge faced by the PPP projects‟ stakeholders, public sector in particular, when they try to evaluate PPP as a project delivery method for their projects. In general, the selected project delivery method should reflect and achieve the project objectives and goals in an efficient way. A comprehensive research should include the available conventional project delivery method, Design-Bid-Build or Design-Build, as a comparison tool for PPP project delivery method. selection of the conventional project delivery method should cover, as much as possible, all the quantitative and the qualitative characteristics of the project that may be affected by the delivery method option.
The proposed Decision Support System (DSS) is founded on a hierarchical base. At the most bottom, several semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect relevant information on the state of practice in Egypt, and to present the decision support system framework. On the second level and through different communication medias, semi-structured interviews were conducted to select and rank the factors affecting the selection of the conventional delivery method according to their criticality. On the third level, a simple objective process was proposed to select the best project conventional project delivery method; the proposed process depends mainly on the factors obtained from the second level and uses them as the project main objectives. On the third level, an evaluation of the PPP as a project delivery method is proposed; the evaluation depends on the value-for-money and Public Sector Comparator, using the best conventional
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project delivery method selected in the second level. At the top level, and due to the widespread use of B.O.T as the most common PPP scheme in Egypt, a robust framework for the optimization of the concession period is concluded. The proposed concession period optimization protects the interests of both the public and the private sector.
8.2 ADVANTAGES OF THE PROPOSED DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM
As the project delivery method is considered the institutional framework of all project stakeholders‟ responsibilities, relations and authorities, so any substantial mistake in the project delivery method selection may cost the owner a significant deficiency in the project. The evaluation of PPP as a project delivery method is more complicated and the mistake in such project delivery method will cause more and drastic shortcoming in the project.
The advantages of the proposed decision support system are:
Presents systematic sequential steps to assist the decision maker.
Simplifies and facilitates the evaluation of PPP as a project delivery method.
Allows the decision maker to evaluate / compare the PPP delivery method with more than one option.
Provides an objective robust framework for the optimization of the concession period in B.O.T projects, as the most common PPP scheme in Egypt
Provides the base of selecting the conventional project delivery method.
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Creates a pool of factors to be used as the project main objectives in order to enhance the selection of the conventional project delivery method.
8.3 Dissertation Contributions
Successive Egyptian Governments have not succeeded in providing large and immediate investments to cover the financial needs of mega projects. Such shortage has led the Government to resort to unconventional funding sources such as Public-Private Partnership (PPP) delivery method. The increase in the budget deficit will result in more dependence upon PPP projects to overcome that dilemma. The PPP projects share in mega projects is increasing all over the world. The aforementioned circumstances show the timeliness and urgency of the work undertaken for this dissertation.
Many contributions of this dissertation may be found in its different chapters, explicitly or implicitly. However, the following are the main contributions of this dissertation:
Presenting wide literature about the PPP projects in Egypt and its first spark during the nineteenth century, passing by the twentieth century, until the writing of this text.
Expanding discussions on the PPP project evaluation in Egypt with decision making personnel in concerning authorities, thus raising the idea of using the best conventional delivery method resulted from the decision support system as the reference of the Public Sector Comparator.
Creating a pool of factors and rank them according to their criticality, in order to be used as the project main objectives, hence,
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the selection of the conventional project delivery method will be more objective.
Creating a comprehensive Decision Support System for the evaluation of PPP as project delivery method.
Concluding a robust framework to optimize the concession period in the B.O.T as the most common PPP scheme in Egypt, hence, finalize the decision making process.
8.4 Challenges and Limitations of the Dissertation
The relative novelty of Public-Private Partnership projects and its limited application in the world in general, in Egypt in particular, has been a tough challenge for this dissertation. The number of executed PPP projects in Egypt can be count on one hand, thus, the optimization of the concession period has been concluded through three projects only.
The second challenge for this dissertation was the difficulty of obtaining information; PPP Projects are frequently mega projects that involve several parties including public and private entities. The lack of access to information has been a major obstacle, in spite of submitting official, signed, and stamped requests to the projects‟ stakeholders. All projects‟ stakeholders were obsessed with presenting any valuable information and have dealt with them as confidential.
The third challenge for this dissertation was COVID-19 pandemic; the majority of the work performed in this dissertation was during the COVID-19 precautionary measures. The lock down, working from home policy, reducing manpower in workplaces, and avoid physical meetings were great obstacles that have faced the research during the stage of data collection and conducting the questionnaire survey in particular.