Tackling the "Broadband Gap" in SEE Rural areas through PPP models

PPP4Broadband, is a project  selected for financing in the 4th call of The South East Europe Transnational Cooperation Programme. The main aim of PPP4Broadband project is to improve the development of virtual accessibility through broadband development in SEE rural areas using the PPP model. The project also aims at developing transnational tools, methodologies and guidelines targeting mainly public actors across SEE as PPP procurers.

 

 

PPP4Broadband

Tackling the "Broadband Gap" in SEE Rural areas through PPP models

PPP4Broadband, is a project  selected for financing in the 4th call of The South East Europe Transnational Cooperation Programme.

The main aim of PPP4Broadband project is to improve the development of virtual accessibility through broadband development in SEE rural areas using the PPP model. The project also aims at developing transnational tools, methodologies and guidelines targeting mainly public actors across SEE as PPP procurers.

 

Project Name: Tackling the "Broadband Gap" in SEE Rural areas through PPP model
   
Priority Axis: Improvement of the accessibility
   
Project Status: Finished
   
Duration: 01.12.2012 – 31.12.2015
   
Project website: http://www.ppp4broadband.eu/
   
Project team in Macedonia: Andrijana Bogdanovska, PhD, MBA,
Branko Gjurovikj, PhD cont., MBA, BSc in ICT, Technical project manager
Julija Peleva Stojkovska, BSc in e-business, Financial Associate
Natasha Vidova, MSc in Law, Legal Associate
   
Project Objectives

PPP4Broadband has four main objectives:

  1. Nine (9) PPP4Broadband models. They provide guidance, samples and calculation tools for Infrastructure design and PPP procurement.
  2. PPP4Broadband Centres of Excellence in each country. They provide help and support for local or regional procurers.
  3. Three (3) Pilot actions: Greece,FYROM and Romania . Proven by signature of 3 contracts between Public and Private partner.
  4. National seminars, PPP4Broadbnand Days ( Bled 14th November 2013) and SEE ICT conference ( Brussels Autumn 2014).

The project is implemented by 12 project partners from 9 SEE countries. The Center for Knowledge Management is the Macedonian partner.

PPP4Broadband begun December 14th, 2012 and is expected to end December 2014.

   
Project Partners: ICT Technology Network Institute (Slovenia), Technical University of Gabrovo (Bulgaria), INNOSKART Nonprofit Business Development Ltd. (Hungary), Patras Municipal Enterprise for Planning and Development (Greece), Region of Western Greece (Greece), National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics ICI-Bucharest (Romania), Prefect Institution-Sibiu County (Romania), FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences (Austria), Alba Iulia Association for Intercommunity Development (Romania), Vojvodina ICT cluster (Serbia), Center for Knowledge Management (Macedonia), Innofinanz- Steiermärkische Forschungs- und Entwicklungsförderungs GesmbH (Austria), MAG - Hungarian Economic Development Centre (Hungary), Ministry of Transport Information Technology and Communications (Bulgaria), Public Agency for Technology of the Republic of Slovenia (Slovenia), Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic (Slovakia), Centre for Development of the East Planning Region (Macedonia)

It is proven and well known that broadband gap has a negative impact on economic growth and social cohesion. PPP4Broadband project aimed to improve the development of virtual accessibility in South-East European rural areas - using PPP models – in order to increase rural economic and social development. The need for proper broadband connectivity has been widely recognized also from local authorities in the areas that lack such services, which are willing to take the main role to ensure the development of the rural areas. PPP4Broadband project delivered numerous innovative tools for guiding and supporting public procurers who want to undergo PPP procurement to select the most suitable private provider of broadband infrastructure.

The main aim of PPP4Broadband project is to improve the development of virtual accessibility through broadband development in SEE rural areas using the PPP model. The project also aims at developing transnational tools, methodologies and guidelines targeting mainly public actors across SEE as PPP procurers.

The whole concept of PPP4Broadband was proved through the realization of 4 pilot investments using PPP4Broadband models in Macedonia, Greece, Romania and Slovenia. Throughout the implementation of the pilot actions, the indirect target groups were the citizens of pilot municipalities.

In total, approximately 200 municipalities across the SEE have gained a better understanding of broadband projects through PPP4Broadband workshops, conferences and other means of promotion. These municipalities are planning to apply for different types of funding to build broadband infrastructure with PPP.

Deliverables

1) Guide on how to use PPP4Broadband

The aim of this Guide is to assist and to guide all the stakeholders, especially local authorities that want to participate in this kind of projects, to better understand and deploy broadband infrastructures in order to enable a better life to their citizens. Through a better understanding of both the broadband specifics and the specifics related to the public-private partnerships and by following the instructions in the correlated PPP model documents, public partners will be enabled to develop a PPP broadband project frame from the initial pre-assessment to the beginning of the procurement process.

Guidelines on how to use PPP4Broadband models (PDF, 4,3 MB)

 

2) PPP4Broadband models development

CKM was one of the main co-authors of the PPP4Broadband models that provide step by step guide to the public procurers, for the preparation of the design phase of PPP projects, focused on Broadband development.

CKM also worked on the development of the methodology for the national customization of the models into the national legal frameworks.

In the project framework based on three Internet speed types (Basic, NGA and Ultra Fast Internet) and five procurement types (PRIVATE DBO, PUBLIC DBO, GOCO, PPP JOINT VENTURE and BOTTOM-UP APPROACH), 9 PPP4Broadband models were developed:

 

 

3) PPP4Broadband Portal

PPP4Broadband portal has been developed by all project partners and external web developer. Its main purpose is to provide guiding for public procurers and important information needed for successful deployment of Broadband projects using PPP models. (www.ppp4broadband.eu)

 

4) National PPP4Broadband Centres of Excellence

National PPP4B Centres of Excellence, established in 9 countries of South-East Europe, support (on the non-profit basis) public actors when conducting PPP public procurements in Broadband infrastructure deployment. For precise guiding of public actors, Centres of Excellence use the standardized manual to ensure high-quality consultations and PPP4Broadband Models that were researched and developed within the project. National PPP4Broadband Centres of Excellence aim at concentrating the knowledge in the field of PPP models for broadband deployment in rural areas.

 

5) Four Pilots

Four pilot actions were implemented in order to prove the concept of the previously developed PPP4Broadband Tools. These pilot activities took place in the four selected areas of Makedonska Kamenica (FYROM), Patras (Greece), Alba Iulia (Romania), and Ajdovscina (Slovenia) where local realization teams undertook the role of the selection of appropriate PPP models, but also prepared the whole investment processes with the support of Centers of Excellence of the project.

 

6) Final conference in Brussels

Final, full day conference was organized in Brussels. Our speakers included representatives of EC (including the head of B2 unit Mrs. Krzyzanowska) and also representatives of European biggest industrial actors in the field (Mr. Damas from Alcatel-Lucent (current Nokia)). All together we have had 12 speakers from 9 countries. The conference attracted 90 participants from 15 countries. It is a reference for dissemination & exploitation showing our abilities to organize an international event in Brussels, attract top speakers and large audience.

 

Watch a short film, where Project Partners present their thoughts about what has been achieved:

 

 

 

 

For more videos for this project go to PPP4Broadband project

 

     

 

Events:

PPP4Broadband Kick-off meeting - 29-30 January 2013, Strbske Pleso, Slovakia [30/01/2013]

PPP4Broadband 1st project meeting - 29th May 2013, Novi Sad, Serbia [29/05/2013]

PPP4Broadband initial National Info Day, Macedonia [26/06/2013]

PPP4Broadband 2nd project meeting - 23rd and 24th September 2013, Patras, Greece [24/09/2013]

PPP4Broadband Conference, Bled, Slovenia [14/11/2013]

PPP4Broadband 3rd  project meeting - 13th and 15th November 2013, Bled, Slovenia [15/11/2013]

PPP4Broadband Center of Excellence - Public Consultations [23/11/2013]

PPP4Broadband 4th  project meeting - Gabrovo, Bulgaria [18/02/2014]

PPP4Broadband 5th  project meeting - Alba Iulia, Romania [03/06/2014]

PPP4Broadband 6th  project meeting - Patras, Greece [10/07/2014]

PPP4Broadband 7th  project meeting - Skopje, Macedonia [16/09/2014]

News:

Municipality of Makedonska Kamenica as a pilot area for implementation of the PPP4Broadband Project [MK]