In 1628, Sweden launched a magnificent warship.

The Vasa.

Built to impress.

Which it did.

Then it sank.

Which was less impressive.

Before the maiden voyage, thirty men had been asked to run backwards and forwards across the upper deck to test its stability.

XXI sophistication… No joke… Today, we pute trucks full of rocks on new bridges…

Well…

The ship rolled so badly that the test had to be stopped.

You would think this may… have triggered a discussion.

At least something like: Let’s not sail.

But the king wanted his ship at sea.

Ah… politicians…

And disappointing the king was not an attractive career development strategy.

So it sailed.

Barely a kilometre later, the discussion moved underwater.

Then came the investigation.

The king wanted someone punished.

The builders pointed to the design he had approved.

Nobody was ultimately punished.

Excellent.

A project where everyone had followed instructions.

And nobody had delivered a usable ship.

Now.

Before you start laughing at seventeenth-century Sweden…

Have you met a client who wants a building delivered through a PPP?

Not just any building.

The best building.

At the lowest price.

Fixed, obviously.

With all the risks transferred to the private sector.

But with the client retaining control over the design.

And the materials.

And the suppliers.

And the ability to change things later.

At no additional cost.

Because: “We’re the client.”

I discussed a building PPP with an African colleague where the client’s expectations had this rather familiar flavour.

Each request sounded attractive on its own.

Together, they were impossible to reconcile.

And that is where your job gets uncomfortable.

Because telling the client “yes” keeps today’s meeting pleasant.

Explaining what that “yes” will cost can make it considerably less pleasant.

Guess which one protects your project.

Your job as an advisor, project director or decision-maker is to put the choices on the table before they become promises.

What does the client really need to control?

What flexibility are they prepared to pay for?

Which risks can the private party manage?

And what happens when the client changes their mind?

​In Buildings in PPP – Discussions with an African colleague, I explore this kind of situation: a client whose expectations need to be turned into something commercially workable.

You’ll also find this lesson, along with many others, inside The Room.

For those moments when you need to explain why the client’s favourite idea might become tomorrow’s problem.

Preferably while everyone is still dry.

P.S. “The client approved it” may be useful during the investigation. It does remarkably little to keep the ship afloat.

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