Evaluating the project success index of public-private partnership projects in Hong Kong : the case of the Cross Harbour Tunnel

Purpose: Since 1960, many public–private partnership (PPP) projects have been implemented in Hong Kong. Some projects have been considered as very successful, whereas others are seen as less successful. Unfortunately, these success outcomes have remained abstract because they are not in quantifiable terms. This paper aims to develop a model that can quantify the success outcome of PPP projects in Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach: Both quantitative and qualitative research approaches were adopted for the study. First, a questionnaire survey was conducted with PPP practitioners in Hong Kong, and thereafter, the fuzzy synthetic evaluation technique was used to develop a project success index for PPP projects in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Cross-Harbour Tunnel project was used as a case study to demonstrate the applicability of the pragmatic model. Findings: The success index model developed consists of four unrelated success criteria groupings: cost effectiveness, quality of services and technical specification, environmental impact and long-term partnership. Further, the computed success index for the Cross-Harbour Tunnel project is 4.06, which indicates that the tunnel project has been highly successful. Originality/value: The outputs of this study will enable PPP practitioners in Hong Kong to reliably evaluate the success levels of their projects. In addition, local practitioners can now compare the success levels of two or more PPP projects on the same basis.