Infrastructure, sexy? Not at all. Crowds, disrepair, and threats to safety are dampening our ardor. Infrastructure may not be so bright either, earning a D average for the second year in a row on the ASCE Report Card for America's Infrastructure[i] So what do a terrible reputation, less-than-stellar grades, and bad self-image add up to? An opportunity.
For everything from roads to water and electricity to schools and other public facilities, government increasingly is pressed to maintain our existing, failing infrastructure, much less fund and provide for new improvements.
The National Council for Public-Private Partnerships defines a public-private partnership (PPP) as a contractual agreement between a public agency (federal, state or local) and a private sector entity. Through this agreement, the skills and assets of each sector (public and private), are shared in delivering a service or facility for the use of the general public. In addition to the sharing of resources, each party shares in the risks and rewards potential in the delivery of the service and/or facility.[ii]