The call every SPV CEO fears


I’m flying to Fiji for a week.

And I’m not worried about the Wi-Fi.

My business will keep moving.

The important decisions have been made.

The decision flows have been tested.

And the right people know what to do if something goes wrong.

It wasn’t always like that.

I still remember my first Christmas holidays as CEO of A30 Express in Montreal.

There was an accident.

A fatality.

Snow had accumulated against the barriers of a bridge.

It froze.

And created the perfect ramp for a car to fly over the edge.

And one of our blowers to remove snow was in maintenance.

Really sad.

And not easy moments.

Suddenly, everything mattered.

The maintenance records.

The snowblower operations.

The timing of every intervention.

The communications.

The traceability.

The KPI compliance system.

And the reasonableness test:

Had we done what a competent operator should reasonably have done?

You’d better get that last one right.

People think running a PPP SPV during operations is a piece of cake.

“You just monitor the subcontractor.”

If only, my friend.

If only.

Look.

When something serious happens, “monitoring” is not enough.

The Board wants answers.

The client wants answers.

The lenders want answers.

The lawyers want documents.

The insurers want evidence.

The journalists want a story and are knocking your door.

And everyone wants them now.

Fortunately, we were prepared.

We had the plans.

We had the records.

We had the systems.

And I had someone I could call who knew how to manage the situation… even while I was 4,000 kilometres away.

That is what allowed me to lead.

Not perfect Wi-Fi.

Not checking my phone every five minutes.

A system that worked and people I trusted.

If you run an SPV, you do not need another person who can “monitor” a subcontractor.

You need someone you can call when the situation becomes serious.

Or, better still, before it does.

If you would like that person in your corner, click below.

Use this information at your own risk.

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Vicente Valencia

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