In an effort to both enlighten his public-sector peers about the benefits of public-private partnerships and to educate the private sector about what public sector clients are looking for in a PPP proposal, Eugene Schiller wrote, "Why Don't They Understand?". Schiller takes the private sector to task for not always understanding the needs of communities they propose to partner with and suggests the following homework (see Appendix A):
• Type of government (How are they organized?)
• Elected officials (Who is in charge?)
• City manager, chief financial officer and utility director (Who are the key appointed officials?)
• Financial conditions and long-range plans (Are they able to do a deal?)
• Recent bond issues (How experienced are they?)
• State and local laws (What are the ground rules?)
• Media (Can you innovate without getting beat up?)
• Economic climate (Can they afford and support a deal?)
Anyone undertaking a PPP submission to the public sector should complete Schiller's "homework", first.