Public service delegation

Contract by which a corporate body under public law entrusts the management of a public utility for which it is responsible to a public or private operator, whose remuneration is substantially linked to the result of the utility operation. The delegatee may possibly be responsible for building structures or for purchasing properties necessary for the utility. The fundamental difference between a public market and a public service delegation results from the method of payment chosen. For a public market, payment is made by the public buyer. For a public service delegation, remuneration derives from the operation of the utility, done at the delegatee's own risk.