The U.K. government is striving to introduce a value-oriented perspective within public management, especially in regard to major capital expenditure, by promoting closer ties to private sector suppliers. The emphasis is effective service delivery rather than asset ownership (e.g., on educated, healthy people rather than procurement of school and hospital buildings or state provision of personnel), meaning public managers are directly accountable for service performance. Resulting partnerships between public and private sectors demand a fundamental change to the worldview of U.K. civil servants. Relationship building, user consultation, ongoing performance assessment such as benchmarking, direct accountability, and flatter organizational structures have replaced traditional modes of accountability and operation. This article explores the cultural influences on the role of the project sponsor in delivering on these aims. It seeks to understand how these cultural influences affect the project sponsor's ability to deliver a project on time, within budget, and of the right quality.