FACILITY-MANAGEMENT
The future of public facilities, on comparable information.
Usage, upkeep, reviewing what a facility is for, and public-private partnership: the questions a decision turns on.
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Public-Private Dialogue and Operator Selection in PPP Projects: An Eight-Step Process from the 2016 Three-Ministry Guide
A structured breakdown of the 'Operational Guide on Public-Private Dialogue and Operator Selection Processes in PPP Projects,' jointly developed in October 2016 by the Cabinet Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Covers four categories of target PPP projects, the eight-stage process from project conception to contract, three types of public-private dialogue (market sounding / proposal incentive / selection-negotiation), local company participation and risk allocation, and internal consensus building.
Five Years of MLIT Hands-On Support: A Framework for Municipal Staff to Realize PPP/PFI Projects Themselves
A structured breakdown of MLIT Policy Bureau's April 2025 document 'Points for Realizing PPP Projects Obtained from Hands-On Support via Specialist Dispatch.' Covers the 26-municipality support track record from FY 2019 through FY 2024, the four difficulty levels for staff self-implementation, the three-stage project realization procedure, and the design intent of targeting municipalities with populations under 200,000.
Regional Platforms and Smooth Public-Private Dialogue: Nine Lessons from MLIT's Three-Year Effort
A structured breakdown of MLIT's January 2020 document 'Points for Smooth Public-Private Dialogue Obtained from Regional Platform Efforts.' Covers the three-year effort from FY 2017, the open-format sounding across six venues with 71 entities and 84 cases in FY 2019, and the six lessons for municipalities and three lessons for private operators.
MLIT's Priority Review Regulation: 10 Billion Yen Threshold, 8 Methods, 3 Review Stages, Four Listed Project Categories
A structural breakdown of MLIT's Priority Review Regulation (effective April 1, 2017). Covers project thresholds (10 billion yen for projects including construction / manufacturing / refurbishment, 1 billion yen annual for operation only), the eight PPP/PFI methods covered, the three review stages (method selection, simplified review, detailed review), result publication rules, the four listed project categories, and propagation to local governments via the Cabinet Office Guidelines.
How to Conduct Market Sounding: A Six-Step Procedure from MLIT's Guidance for Municipalities
A structured breakdown of MLIT's guidance on market sounding for local public entities (published June 2018, updated October 2019). Covers the purpose of sounding between project conception and operator selection, the five things it captures, the six-step implementation flow with cautions at each step, the IP protection question, and the confirmation procedure at result publication.
VFM Simplified Calculation Model: How Municipal Staff Evaluate PPP/PFI Feasibility at the Internal Review Stage
A comprehensive walkthrough of the VFM Simplified Calculation Model Manual published by MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) in April 2017. Covers the definition of VFM (Value For Money), the five-step calculation procedure in the Excel-based model, three changes from the 2008 model, the four outputs, and operational limits. The manual positions itself as an in-house judgment tool for municipal staff before commissioning external consultants.
Public Facility Management DX: The State of FM System Adoption in Japanese Municipalities
An analysis of municipal facility management (FM) system adoption in light of the 2024 revisions to MIC's 'Comprehensive Plan for Public Facilities Management.' Integration of BIM/CIM, GIS, and inspection data, and the connection points with PPP/PFI.
Water PPP After the Osaka Expo — Two 'First-in-Japan' Cases, Wide-Area Consolidation, and the 2027 Deadline Municipalities Now Face
Around the time of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, Osaka City procured the renewal of its trunk water mains as a PFI (¥52.5 billion; the winning companies announced it as a first in Japan), Osakasayama and Kawachinagano jointly tendered a wide-area Level 3.5 sewerage contract (described by the two cities as Japan's first), and the Osaka Water Supply Authority grew to 19 municipalities. From FY2027, national support for sewage pipe renewal requires a decision to adopt Water PPP. This article sets out the roughly three years the two cities took to reach the tender, and seven decision axes.
PFI Guideline 2025 Revision Explained — Three Pillars on Price Adjustment and Private-Sector Proposals
On June 4, 2025, Japan's Private Finance Initiative Promotion Council adopted partial revisions to the PFI Guidelines. This article unpacks the three pillars — price adjustment response, private-sector proposal promotion, and ensuring fair returns — and analyzes the practical implications for municipalities and private operators. A continuation of our earlier article on the 2024 PFI Act amendments.
How to Brief the Assembly — Explanation Templates and Anticipated Questions for PPP/PFI Adoption
Assembly briefings are an unavoidable step when adopting PPP/PFI. This article provides templates for briefing timing, frequency, and material structure, along with frequently asked questions from assembly members and model answers — a practical guide for securing assembly approval smoothly.
Operator Bankruptcy Response in PFI and Designated Manager Projects — Municipal Risk Management
When a PFI operator or designated manager goes bankrupt, the municipality must simultaneously ensure service continuity and minimize impact on residents. This article systematically covers response procedures by bankruptcy type (financial deterioration, sudden insolvency, voluntary withdrawal), direct management reversion procedures, contractual risk hedging, and monitoring structures for recurrence prevention.
Resident Lawsuits and Injunction Cases in PPP/PFI Projects — Legal Risks and Prevention
A systematic analysis of cases where PPP/PFI projects became targets of resident lawsuits and injunction requests. Covers the pattern from resident audit requests to lawsuits, the requirements for granting injunctions, and risk management strategies for both municipalities and operators — providing a framework for preventive legal risk management.
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