Public-Private Partnership in Terms of the Contract for the Construction of District Hospital in Żywiec as an Example of Optimization in the Public Interest

Abstract

The implementation, including financing, of public tasks is not an easy venture. In some situations, public entities are not capable of bearing the costs of this type of investment. The inability to finance such needs from public funds is becoming the main reason for public entities to turn attention to the private sector and its funds in order to finance public needs using public-private partnerships. The objective of the article is to evaluate the public-private partnership as an institution for optimization of public spending on the example of a contract for the construction of a District Hospital in Żywiec. The research problem is the answer to the question whether the institution of public-private partnership serves the public interest through the optimization of public spending. According to the research hypothesis, the currently functioning public-private partnership is a legal solution optimizing public expenditure for benefit of the public interest. The article presents the way of functioning and financing of public-private partnership on the example of a contract for the construction of a District Hospital in Żywiec. The subject was chosen because of its relevance. The Polish legislator, while defining public tasks for their implementation and the requirements for their fulfillment, forgets that public entities are not always willing to carry out these tasks themselves and assume the risk which accompanies their implementation.