Contract completeness as a foundation to relationship building among stakeholders in public private partnership projects

Abstract

The purpose of this paper study is to provide evidence on whether contract completeness is a foundation to relationship building among stakeholders in public–private partnership projects in Uganda. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire survey from a sample of 135 public– private partnership projects in Uganda. Partial Least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. All the Contract completeness dimensions were found to be positively and significantly associated with relationship building among stakeholders in PPP projects in Uganda. This implies that contract completeness is a cornerstone to relationship building. Results imply that when all the relevant issues are included in the contract, contract terms are explicitly stipulated, unanticipated changes are described and when all the parties involved are restrained by a binding force of a contract, relationship building will be boosted among stakeholders in PPP projects. Since little is known on how to build lasting relationships among stakeholders in public– private partnership projects, this study thus extends a debate on how a complete contract can build lasting relationships among stakeholders.