Public-Private Partnerships

“Public-private partnerships have the potential to transform municipal projects as they combine the strengths of both sectors by leveraging public and private sector efficiency, innovation with public sector oversight and social responsibility. The leadership and work of the USCM P3 Task Force is critical to enhancing project delivery in cities across the country and ensuring that community needs are met for generations to come.”

– Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director, U.S. Conference of Mayors

P3 Council

The P3 Council is a group of mayors committed to sharing best practices and experiences with the broader USCM community. These mayors represent a diversity of city sizes. The P3 Council also assists the P3 Task Force Chair with identifying relevant issues to address at semi-annual convenings.

The P3 Council organizes exclusive forums with Council members, mayors, and local government officials, providing members with unparalleled access to local decision-makers. These forums serve as a platform for initiating dialog, exploring the value of P3s, sharing innovative project opportunities, and directly influencing local policies and projects that impact the P3 landscape.

Members can directly engage with mayors and local officials, presenting their ideas, projects, and solutions that align with government needs. This direct line of communication facilitates the formation of new partnerships and collaborations.

Benefits:

• Federal Advocacy — The P3 Council serves as a powerful advocate for its members at the federal level, offering a unique platform to influence policy, secure favorable regulations, and gain early insights into legislative changes. This advocacy ensures that the interests of our members are represented in critical decision-making processes that affect the P3 sector.
• Direct Influence on Policy — Members can participate in discussion and committees that directly engage with federal policymakers, offering a voice in the creation and amendment of policies impacting P3s.
• Strategic Alliances — The Council fosters strategic connections with key stakeholders and policymakers, ensuring members’ interests are well-represented and prioritized at the federal level.
• Insight and Foresight — Regular briefings, reports, and exclusive meetings with policymakers provide members with advanced insights into federal legislative agendas, enabling strategic planning and positioning.

Mission statement: To engage best-in-class private sector partners as thought-leaders to facilitate and optimize collaboration between Mayors and Industry leaders while navigating the complexities of P3s.

Member Cities:

P3 Advisory Board

The P3 Advisory Board is comprised of members from the private sector. These companies provide a cross-disciplinary perspective and help identify blindspots in the P3 process that would otherwise hamper a Mayor’s efforts to successfully deliver a project via a P3. The P3 Task Force Chair and the P3 Council will rely on insight from the Advisory Board to help develop the P3 Best Practices Guide and Toolkit, the P3 Playbook for cities.

Steering

Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP) is a consolidated holding company that builds innovative technology-enabled infrastructure companies and projects that deliver positive social and environmental impact. SIP’s platforms are next-generation infrastructure developers with proprietary technologies, all uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology and infrastructure. Our platforms are focused on the future of: the electrical grid (Resilia), roads (Cavnue), wireless networks (CoFi), and recycling (Polysift). SIP was founded in 2019 and is backed by Alphabet, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, and StepStone Group as its anchor partners.

“Innovative partnerships between cities and the private sector can leverage historic federal investments in infrastructure. As a founding member of USCM’s P3 Task Force, SIP is proud to support the nation’s mayors in building more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive infrastructure.”
– David Gilford, Head of Policy and Strategic Partnerships, Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners

Ready.net, Inc. is a software/technology company led by a diverse team of software engineers, computer and data scientists, policy advocates and NTIA alums devoted to helping broadband professionals solve the digital divide. Ready offers a full suite of next-generation geospatial-based software solutions and workflows to help state broadband offices and service providers make the most of the largest investment in broadband and digital equity funding in a generation. Because of our expertise and dedication to exceptional customer service, Ready is a trusted partner with state broadband offices, service providers, local communities and leading consultants across the country. Ready is known for our outstanding innovations, ready-to-use data-driven models, and deep techno-economic and subject matter expertise.

“Ready believes in the power of collaboration and innovation, and the USCM’s P3 work will set the foundation for effective partnerships and next-generation problem-solving for America’s communities. Ready is honored to serve on the P3 Advisory Board as a Steering Level Member and it is necessary that the private sector works with and through local government and the public sector. It will be through these unique and dynamic public-private partnerships that will foster, if not drive innovative approaches to economic and workforce development, technological advancements and expansion, community redevelopment, and effective/impactful local governance.”
– Scott D. Woods, President Public-Private Partnerships, Ready.net, Inc.

HNTB Corporation is an employee-owned infrastructure firm serving public and private owners and contractors. With 110 years of service, HNTB understands the life cycle of infrastructure and addresses clients’ most complex technical, financial and operational challenges, helping to create infrastructure systems that meet the unique needs of local communities. Our professionals deliver a full range of infrastructure-related services, including award-winning planning, design and program and construction management.

“HNTB is excited to partner with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the P3 taskforce to explore how we can best leverage public private partnerships to support investments in infrastructure. We are energized by the opportunity to be an advisory council member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors P3 initiative and look forward to supporting our mayors as they explore issues that are critical to our industry and local communities.”
– Jim Ray, Corporate President, Advisory, HNTB

Auxiliary

P3 Institute

The P3 Institute is a collaboration between the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Association for the Improvement of American Infrastructure (AIAI), the leading organization dedicated solely to moving P3s forward to strengthen American infrastructure. The P3 Institute will make AIAI’s P3 curriculum available to mayors and their staff. Empowering cities with a stronger knowledge of the P3 process can result in more successful P3s and more efficient delivery of new infrastructure projects.

“I am delighted that AIAI has been selected to partner with the US Conference of Mayors on the delivery of the initiatives of the USCM P3 Taskforce. Providing education, information and resources to cities across the US through the P3 Institute will raise awareness and positively impact project delivery in communities.
Thanks to the foresight of the USCM and the leadership of Mayor Dickens, the USCM P3 Taskforce has created a platform to encourage innovation and create more opportunities for Mayors to successfully deliver critical infrastructure to their communities. The AIAI team looks forward to supporting the USCM and Mayor Dickens as they continue to lead the P3 Task Force and drive impactful change.”
– Lisa Buglione, Executive Director, AIAI

AIAI:

AIAI is an action-driven, member-led organization made up of the leading minds in the industry, solely dedicated to moving P3s forward and strengthening American infrastructure. They serve as a resource for industry leaders, legislators, municipal officials, and other key decision-makers as they consider P3 as an alternative solution to address our nation’s infrastructure.

Their mission is to create an environment where public and private entities work to promote growth and sustainability of America’s Infrastructure, fostering innovative solutions in the form of policy, product, and delivery. Our members share a passion for American infrastructure, a conviction that it matters, and a commitment to improving lives through P3 partnerships.

AIAI is currently led by its Executive Director, Lisa Buglione. With more than 20 years of high-profile strategic initiative management and operations experience, Ms. Buglione oversees every aspect of AIAI’s tactical operations and national public outreach initiatives. She leads the organization’s nationwide efforts with a focus on good policy, strong programs and partnership as a means to building the organization’s support structure while concurrently promoting national P3 growth.

History

• March 2022 — Resolution to express support for Public Private Partnerships adopted at the USCM 90th Annual Meeting under the stewardship of then-Conference President Mayor Francis Suarez
• October 2023 — Inaugural meeting P3 Task Force Meeting takes place in Atlanta, GA
• January 2024 — P3 Task Force initiatives debuted at USCM Annual Winter Meeting in Washington, DC, with a special address from Special Advisor to President Biden and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, Steve Benjamin
• February 2024 — Regional Institutes Roadshow kicks off with the goal of providing more information to mayors and other city leaders

Additional Resources

• Introduction to P3s
• Leveraging Public Dollars
• Funding vs. Financing
• P3 Benefits
• Understanding Public Project Delivery Options
• P3 Procurement Best Practices

Case Studies

• LAX CONRAC
• LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
• Long Beach Civic Center
• Long Beach Courthouse
• Miami-Dade County Civil and Probate Courthouse
• Snyder Park Pickleball Facility
• Puerto Rico Cruise Terminal
• Rialto Water
• State Street Redevelopment
• Angels Flight Railway
• Atworth
• Carlsbad Desalination Plant
• Clackamas County Circuit Courthouse
• DC Smart Street Lighting
• Denver Eagle
• Hillman Garage and City Dock
• Howard County Circuit Courthouse
• LAX Automated People Mover

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