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“Although allowing unsolicited proposals continues to be a topic of policy discussion, inexplicably the academic literature lacks information on it. This unique paper can therefore contribute by discussing the ways in which this approach is used to procure public‒private partnership (PPP) projects. Most countries allow this type of procurement model, and many encourage it. Therefore, it is crucial that governments are endowed with well-established procurement frameworks that enable them to overcome the infrastructure gap while simultaneously providing value for money. For this purpose, unsolicited proposals are analyzed in three different countries ‒ Brazil, Korea and the USA ‒ which have implemented PPP projects with this procurement model, using different frameworks. Lessons are drawn, and recommendations are made to improve the current status quo. This procurement option can indeed be useful and valuable, but should be utilized with caution.”