Private Finance Initiative (PFI) solicitors

Where PFI contracts create pressure

Anthony Collins’ PFI solicitors advise local authorities, housing providers and other publicly accountable organisations on live contract management, performance disputes, expiry planning and handback. We help clients protect critical services, manage risk proactively and take appropriate and timely action where issues escalate.

PFI contracts and other public-private partnerships (PPPs) create unique pressure for public authorities and contractors alike. For organisations operating in regulated public sector environments, the challenges these contracts present often intersect with service delivery, governance, compliance and public accountability.

For local authorities, housing providers, charities, education bodies and health and social care organisations, these issues do not sit in isolation. They can affect essential services, internal resources, stakeholder confidence and long-term decisions about how services and assets should be managed, transitioned or brought back in-house.

Common pressure points we see in practice include:

• Performance failures and service delivery concerns impacting frontline provision
• Disputes over payment mechanisms, deductions and contractual interpretation
• Increasing tension around lifecycle works, asset condition and long-term value
• Gaps in contract records and governance caused by organisational or personnel change
• Managing contractor relationships within formal governance and scrutiny frameworks
• Preparing for expiry while maintaining service continuity and regulatory compliance

PFI disputes and pressure points often become more acute as contracts mature or approach expiry. We support clients to resolve issues through early engagement, negotiation and mediation where possible, while remaining fully prepared to act in adjudication, litigation and other formal proceedings where required.

We bring a clear understanding of both the contractual framework and the wider public sector context in which decisions are made and scrutinised.

How our PFI solicitors can help

Anthony Collins advises on PFI/PPP contracts across their full lifecycle, from procurement, mobilisation and live operational issues, through to disputes, expiry and handback.

Our PFI/PPP service covers:

• Contract management and operational support
• Performance disputes and service failure issues
• Payment mechanism, deduction and interpretation disputes
• Contract variation, change in law and contract revision issues
• Governance, records management and documentation gaps
• Asset condition, defects, safety compliance and lifecycle obligations
• Surveys, inspections and evidence gathering
• Mediation, adjudication, litigation and strategic dispute resolution
• Expiry planning, handback and post-expiry transition
• Future delivery model advice, including outsourcing, re-procurement and in-house options

With decades of experience supporting complex public sector projects, Anthony Collins helps clients manage PFI and PPP contracts in a way that is collaborative, commercially realistic and aligned with service objectives.

This support extends to the practical issues that often drive disagreement in live PFI and PPP contracts, including asset condition, defects, safety compliance, lifecycle obligations, surveys, service standards and handback preparation. We combine legal expertise with a detailed understanding of how these contracts operate in practice, particularly in housing, local government and regulated service environments.

Where disputes emerge, our focus is on achieving resolution in a way that protects service continuity and long-term value, while remaining fully prepared to act through adjudication, litigation or other formal processes where this becomes necessary to protect our clients’ position.

Helping you navigate PFI and PPP contract expiry

With hundreds of PFI contracts approaching expiry in the UK, public bodies are under increasing pressure to prepare for handback while maintaining continuity of service.

Anthony Collins supports clients from early-stage expiry planning through to implementation and post-expiry transition. That includes reviewing contract documentation, identifying handback obligations, advising on surveys and inspections, addressing documentation gaps, managing disputes with project companies and helping clients plan for re-procurement, outsourcing or bringing services back in-house.

Where expiry gives rise to adjudication, litigation or other formal disputes, Anthony Collins provides clear, strategic representation grounded in both the legal framework and the operational realities facing public bodies. The team stays closely aligned with current guidance and policy developments affecting infrastructure partnerships and contract handback, helping clients approach expiry with greater clarity, control and confidence.