PPP Commercial Structuring Training Course

This five-day programme covers the commercial and contractual architecture of a PPP, including risk allocation, payment mechanisms, step-in rights, termination and the procurement process that carries a transaction to signature.

A PPP lives or dies on how well its commercial and contractual structure allocates risk between government and private partner. Get it wrong and the deal either fails to attract financing at all, or it reaches financial close carrying a payment mechanism, termination clause or change-in-law provision that generates disputes for the life of the concession. Renegotiations and terminated contracts across African PPP markets can almost always be traced back to a commercial structure that was signed before it was properly stress-tested.

This course equips participants to structure, negotiate and review the commercial terms of a PPP, from risk allocation and payment mechanisms to step-in rights and termination provisions, drawing on real transaction patterns from across African infrastructure markets. Through a live case study and negotiation simulation, participants leave able to read a draft PPP contract with a lender's or a government negotiator's eye, and to spot the clause that will cause a problem long before it does.

• Explain the commercial logic behind BOT, BOOT and DBFOT PPP structures.
• Construct a risk allocation matrix across construction, demand, operating and political risk.
• Design payment mechanisms, including availability payments and demand-based structures.
• Evaluate performance-based deduction regimes and their effect on bankability.
• Draft and negotiate step-in rights and direct agreement provisions for lenders.
• Assess termination provisions and compensation on termination across default, force majeure and optional termination.
• Apply change-in-law provisions to protect both government and private partner interests.
• Navigate PPP procurement processes, including competitive dialogue and unsolicited proposals.
• Negotiate a heads of terms for a live PPP case study transaction.

This course is designed for:

• PPP unit officials and government transaction teams
• Legal advisers structuring or reviewing PPP contracts
• Infrastructure developers and concessionaires
• Project finance and lender teams assessing PPP bankability
• Advisory and consulting professionals supporting PPP procurement
• Regulators and contracting authorities overseeing PPP delivery
• Risk management professionals assessing PPP contractual exposure
• Development partners and donor agencies supporting PPP programmes

This programme is delivered through structured expert input, practical contract clause reviews, risk allocation workshops and facilitated group discussions. Learning is reinforced through a negotiation simulation built around a live PPP case study, drawing on transaction structures and negotiation practices from infrastructure projects across African PPP markets.

This training strengthens organisational capability to:

• Faster, more confident review of PPP contracts and procurement documents.
• Reduced risk of structuring a PPP that fails to reach financial close.
• Stronger negotiating position with concessionaires, lenders and legal advisers.
• Improved consistency in risk allocation across a portfolio of PPP transactions.
• Reduced likelihood of disputes arising from poorly drafted termination provisions.
• Better-prepared teams entering competitive dialogue or negotiation processes.
• Stronger institutional capacity to run a credible PPP procurement process.
• Improved relationships with development partners supporting PPP programmes.
• Reduced dependence on external consultants for routine contract structuring decisions.

Participants will gain the knowledge and practical skills to:

• Build confidence reading and negotiating PPP contract clauses.
• Strengthen judgement on what risk allocation is fair, bankable and defensible.
• Improve credibility in cross-functional negotiations between government, lenders and sponsors.
• Gain a transferable framework for structuring any long-term contractual partnership.
• Sharpen negotiation skills through a realistic simulation exercise.
• Improve career mobility across PPP units, advisory firms and infrastructure companies.
• Build a professional network of peers working on PPP transactions across Africa.
• Reduce reliance on external legal advisers for a first-pass contract review.
• Strengthen ability to spot unbankable or one-sided contract terms early.

At Strategic Revenue Africa, our certification goes beyond proof of attendance—it represents practical competence and measurable capability. Upon successful completion of our training programs, participants are awarded a Certificate of Completion from Strategic Revenue Africa, recognizing their ability to apply acquired knowledge in real-world settings. As an organization focused on architecting sustainable revenue and strengthening organizational performance, our certifications signal that participants are equipped with skills that drive results, not just theory.

No legal background is required, though familiarity with basic contract and finance concepts is useful. The course suits both first time and experienced PPP practitioners.