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Purpose – This paper aims to analyse the findings of the relevant studies, to summarise what has been done in this area, to direct future research and to improve private finance initiative (PFI) practice. PFI is a new form of contracting out public facilities to the private sector, where facility management was integrated with construction. There have been a large number of academic papers published on this subject; however, there is a lack of a systematic review of the PFI-related studies. Design/methodology/approach – The literature search focused on international peer-reviewed and published literature, with relevance to PFI. The search of literature, following the method of Tang et al. (2010) and Al-Sharif and Kaka (2004), involved the titles, keywords and abstracts, from some major electronic databases (Web of Science, Engineering Village, Science Direct (Elsevier) and Springer Link) of publications published between 1992 and 2011. The data were classified into six categories for further analysis. Findings – As a new way to procure public facility management, PFI projects have unique characteristics in comparison to conventional construction procurement. The review of the literature regarding PFI is important in terms of summarising the key findings and suggestions of studies for industry practitioners, as well as forecasting the future academic research trends in this area. The number of research works on PFI increased quickly in recent years; however, the review discovered there were still some issues not yet covered in the literature. Research limitations/implications – This review is not exhaustive in nature, as the criteria in selecting research papers only included English-written, peer-reviewed journals from some major electronic literature databases. This is the limitation of the research. Further review on a wider range of literature is recommended for researchers. Originality/value – Since PFI was introduced to the construction industry to fund infrastructure 20 years ago in the UK, it has gained interests from scholars. In this new form of contracting out public facilities to the private sector, facility management was integrated with construction. There have been a large number of academic papers published on this subject; however, there is a lack of a systematic review of the PFI studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The recently published building energy conservation regulation of China (GB50189-2005, 2005 ) was compared with the latest UK building energy conservation regulation (Part L) (Building Regulation Approved Document L2A, 2006 ). The UK regulation appeared stricter in its requirements and standards than the Chinese regulation. In two case studies, the design of a sample building is altered to fulfil the minimum requirements of the two regulations. The energy consumption and Carbon print of the virtual building under the two set of regulations are estimated by computer based models in the two case studies based on a building in the Cold regions. The building under the UK regulation showed higher energy efficiency and less Carbon emissions per year. The high level estimate in the case studies discovered a potential energy savings of 29% by strengthening the design requirements in the Chinese regulation to the UK level. The improvement on energy efficiency of buildings can be achieved in strengthening the proactive design aspects on building envelope, efficient HVAC, lighting and lighting control system. The software used was SBEM which is the default tool in the UK Part L regulation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Although Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have been widely implemented in a number of countries, their development and governance contexts are different. This research investigates PPPs through the lens of governmentality and develops a systematic and innovative analytical framework to evaluate and compare the PPP governance in China and the United Kingdom. Based on the findings, a conceptual model is proposed to illustrate the conducting of PPP governance, by the governments involved. The research contributes to the literature on the governance of PPP by providing a clear framework and an assessment tool. The result can benefit the policymakers in different countries, in assessing and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their PPP governance in practice, hence helping the decision-making of government in identifying and targeting loopholes in their PPP market. • Investigating PPP governance through the lens of governmentality. • A systematic and innovative analytical framework to evaluate and compare the PPP governance between China and the UK. • A conceptual model is developed to illustrates the conduct of PPP governance. • Contribute to the literature on the governance of PPP and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of PPP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]