PFI and PPP hub

Welcome to our PFI and PPP hub: Bringing together everything you need to navigate PFI expiry, disputes and the future of infrastructure finance.

PFI expiry and disputes

As the first generation of PFI contracts near expiry, public bodies and private sector partners face a unique set of legal and commercial challenges around handback and disputes. Getting this process right is critical to ensure value for money, operational continuity and legal compliance.

We bridge the gap between the public and private sectors to advise clients across the UK on every stage of this process, from asset condition reviews and handback planning to dispute management and contract transition.

The future of infrastructure finance

The framework of infrastructure finance is evolving rapidly and presents opportunities for the both the public and private sectors.

As the UK transitions beyond PFI, the need for fresh PPPs and new financing models such as PF2, Design-Build-Finance-Operate (DBFO) and public sector-led investment programmes has become essential to deliver projects that reflect today’s funding realities and sustainability priorities.

We've been at the forefront of infrastructure financing for decades and we understand both the opportunities and pitfalls of PPP models. Our team has deep cross-sector experience of major infrastructure projects and bridges the public/private gap to connect our clients with the right people and organisations. This means we can guide you on future-proof models of financing and delivery shaping the post-PFI landscape and help accelerate your growth and success.

PFI disputes and handback

PFI, PPP and projects

PFI handback

700 +

PFI projects in the UK

56 £bn

private sector investment

136 £bn+

still to pay

15-25 %

shareholders return

Central government

Education

Energy and infrastructure

Government

Health and care

Local government

Retail and supply chain

Our experience

Open Access Government: Can reimagined public-private partnerships deliver community healthcare infrastructure?

Public Finance: Could a new-look PFI fund neighbourhood care centres?

The Times: Reeves must solve the puzzle of using private cash for public schemes

Public Finance: How should we fund public infrastructure?

Estates Gazette: Reviving PFI to deliver vital infrastructure

Tes: How can Labour afford to fix the ageing school estate?

Rail Professional: Replacing PFI could hold the key to building new rail infrastructure

Education Property: What the Budget tells us about the future of school estates

PBC Today: Britain’s public infrastructure renewal requires a new mechanism for leveraging private investment

CBI: Developing a new private finance model to ‘get Britain building again’

Government and Public Sector Journal: Browne Jacobson and CBI roundtable explores how to finance public infrastructure post-PFI

Craig Elder, partner in Browne Jacobson’s government team, has been part of a six-person expert panel that has contributed to Building magazine’s Funding the Future campaign throughout 2025.

Media coverage resulting from this has included:

Building announces panel of experts to inform its Funding the Future coverage

Is PFI about to stage a comeback?

PFI: Do the numbers add up?

What would a new generation of PFI mean for construction?

What will the infrastructure strategy say about private finance?

Why the government is looking to the Thames Tideway project for ways to fund £14.2bn Sizewell C

Government wants firms to register interest in plans to build some health schemes using PPP

Building's Funding the Future report calls for ambitious expansion of public private partnerships to rebuild UK infrastructure

Labour must rethink private finance for infrastructure projects

In the news