O papel das parcerias público-privadas e concessões no setor de saneamento básico: o impacto na eficiência técnica das operadoras de água e esgoto

Abstract

The Sixth Sustainable Development Goal of the UN's 2030 Agenda, established in 2015, focuses on universalizing access to sewage collection and potable water. In the Brazilian context, in 2020, the new regulatory framework for basic sanitation (Law 14,026/2020) was enacted, aiming to provide flexibility and broaden guarantees to foster the participation of private companies in this sector. This study aims to analyze the technical cost efficiency of services provided by companies operating in the basic sanitation sector, focusing on investigating the impact on municipalities with the presence of private capital through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and concessions. The data used for this analysis were obtained from the National Sanitation Information System (SNIS) database for 2023, covering a sample of 2,355 service providers from 2000 to 2022. Regarding the presence of concessions and PPPs, data provided by the Brazilian Association of Private Concessionaires of Public Water and Sewage Services (ABCON SINDICON) for 2023 were considered, revealing that 526 Brazilian cities already adopt some form of PPP or concession for water supply, sewage treatment, or both services. The methodology employed in this study was based on stochastic frontier analysis, using a variable cost function with the main variables related to water and sewage production. This was estimated using panel data to identify persistent and variable inefficiencies present in sanitation sector companies. Regarding variable inefficiency, a reduction trend was observed in companies adopting the partial concessions and PPPs model, suggesting that these partnership forms may contribute to improvements in operational efficiency over time. This can be seen where, after the enactment of the new regulatory framework in 2020, a positive trend was observed, highlighted by the increase in the coefficient from -0.002 in 2020 to -0.019 in 2023. However, only partial water concessions showed a statistically significant impact on reducing total variable costs, with a coefficient of -33.43, despite Battese and Coelli's tests (1988) resulting in 93.33% in partial water PPPs indicating on average lower inefficiency compared to other contractual forms involving private initiative. Additionally, in the analysis of persistent inefficiency, it was evident that there are still considerable challenges to be overcome in terms of management and operation of sanitation companies. The persistence of inefficiency highlights the continuous need for improvement and implementation of effective practices in the sector. In summary, this study provides insights into understanding the impact of private participation in the sanitation sector, highlighting areas of progress and persistent challenges. Continuous collaboration between the academic community and sector professionals is essential to develop effective solutions that promote universal access to basic sanitation services, in line with the objectives of the new sanitation regulatory framework and those of the UN's 2030 Agenda.