Archive · 12 Sep 2026
BRICS Weighs Expanding Public-Private Partnerships Into Services Beyond Infrastructure
BRICS countries have mostly used public-private partnerships to build things like roads, power systems and transport.
A public-private partnership means a government works with a private company on a public job.
The article says these partnerships could also help people get everyday government services.
Examples include visa applications, birth records, vehicle registration and certificates.
VFS Global already helps governments handle the administrative parts of visa services.
Governments still make the important decisions.
The company also supports citizen services in Brazil through more than 250 centres.
The article suggests BRICS should consider adding citizen services to its official PPP work.
BRICS leaders will meet at Bharat Mandapam on September 12 and 13 for the bloc’s 18th summit.
Since 2016, BRICS public-private partnership cooperation has primarily focused on physical infrastructure and blended finance.
VFS Global’s model separates administrative service delivery from government decision-making, and the company reports serving 71 governments across 169 countries.
A VFS Global-led consortium won a five-year contract in May 2026 to establish 60 Model Sub-Registrar Offices in Maharashtra.
The article argues BRICS could extend PPPs to services such as registries, vehicle registration, company incorporation and e-governance.
- Who
- BRICS member countries, their governments and private service providers such as VFS Global are involved.
- What
- The article proposes expanding BRICS public-private partnerships from infrastructure projects to citizen-facing government services.
- When
- The 18th BRICS summit is scheduled for September 12 and 13; BRICS PPP cooperation was formalised in 2016, and a Maharashtra contract mentioned in the article was awarded in May 2026.
- Where
- The summit is scheduled at Bharat Mandapam, while the cited service-delivery examples involve India, Brazil, South Africa and other countries.
- Why
- The proposal aims to make administrative public services more accessible and efficient while leaving sovereign decisions with governments.
- BRICS summit
- The 18th summit is scheduled for September 12 and 13 at Bharat Mandapam.
- BRICS PPP cooperation
- Formalised in 2016 and historically focused on infrastructure.
- VFS Global reach
- Works with 71 client governments and operates more than 4,200 application centres across 169 countries.
- VFS Global transactions
- The company reports processing more than 557 million transactions with over 17,500 staff.
- Maharashtra contract
- A VFS Global-led consortium won a five-year contract to establish 60 Model Sub-Registrar Offices.
- Brazil citizen services
- CiX Citizen Experience supports more than 170 million citizens through over 250 centres and provides more than 200 public services.
- Potential service areas
- Examples include registries, vehicle registration, vital records, company incorporation and e-governance portals.