The SCDOT set-aside conventional ways of doing business, and launched an ambitious $5 billion program of highway construction known as "27 in 7" Peak Performance. This accelerated program is making a reality of projects that otherwise would not have been built for many years.
Expecting to complete nearly 200 construction projects in seven years, which is at least 20 years sooner than the agency's average workload, the SCDOT selected the assistance of Construction and Resource Managers (CRM). A CRM is a firm, or a group of firms, that has experience and expertise in highway/bridge design and construction. After a detailed evaluation process, the SCDOT Commission voted to ask the staff to negotiate a contract with two firms, Fluor Daniel and Parsons Brinckerhoff/LPA. The plan calls for the State to be divided approximately in half, with each firm assigned to one-half of the State.[85]
The two CRMs act as an extension of SCDOT, and both report to SCDOT on the projects they have been assigned to help manage. The firms serve as assistants to the SCDOT Program Managers, who will continue to oversee every project.[86]
The contract, signed by SCDOT in July 1999, calls for each CRM to assist SCDOT in more than $760 million worth of road and bridge work to be completed within seven years. By partnering with the CRMs, the SCDOT avoided having to hire an estimated 500 employees to handle the additional workload. This is the first public-private partnership of this magnitude in the United States. The FHWA has worked closely with SCDOT to administer this partnership and a number of other innovative financing programs.[87]
Key innovations, integral to implementation of this program are financial assistance through a State infrastructure bank (SIB), public-private partnerships, and new ways of leveraging Federal dollars. New toll roads and a TIFIA loan were also part of the original financing package for the 27 in 7 program.[88]