Performance Based Maintenance of Road Infrastructure by Contracting - A Challenge for Developing Countries

Abstract

Road authorities always strive to reduce the maintenance costs of road infrastructure systems using various traditional methods of contract. Contracting out road maintenance to the private sector based on performance measures is an alter-native solution to maintain road infrastructure in a cost-effective way and is named as Performance Based Maintenance Contracting (PBMC). Many countries have succeeded in minimizing road infrastructure maintenance costs using per-formance-based maintenance contracts over the last two decades. However, implementation of PBMC is still a chal-lenge for many developing countries because of resource and skill limitations, corruption and poor management sys-tems. This paper discusses and analyses the problems and difficulties in the successful implementation of PBMC in developing countries.