The development of road contracts, particularly road maintenance contracts, is an important issue the world over. Isted must take credit for addressing this subject and inviting writers from different backgrounds to express their views as freely as possible.

When speaking of a partnership which, when it is between a project owner/manager and a contractor, must be the bond that holds the joint project together, we should not hide behind words, and not forget that the partners' overall objectives may differ.

One has the task of ensuring the best longer-term technico-economic profitability of the works under its responsibility, that is to say the best service to the user-taxpayer or the user-payer. The other has the primary duty of ensuring the sustainability of its company and the employees within that company.

The partnership between them both will only work properly, and enable them to do "a fine piece of work" together, if the ground rules are clearly established. As put by Michel Démarre in his contribution to this issue: "How clean is clean"?

The technical history of our country shows us definite examples of successful partnerships. But a more critical article in this issue stresses that it is not always the case.

May these partnerships prosper and respond to the legitimate concerns of one and all.

Philippe Léger,

Contents

• Mobilizing expertise

• Feature: Performance contracts For a number of years, particularly in the infrastructure sector, performance contracts have been developing, based on the concept of partnerships between project owners and contractors. Although the Anglo-Saxon countries were the precursors, other geographic areas are opening up to these new types of contracts. The examples developed in this issue - the Province of Alberta (Canada), "French-style project engineering", earth roads in Chad - illustrate the diversity of approaches.

• Information Update : News-Events-Training sessions-Publications 

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