Panel urges Caution, Transparency for Public-Private Partnerships

Tom Warne Report, 29 September 2014

Land Line Magazine –  September 17, 2014

Accountability and transparency to the public in public-private partnerships are key for government organizations in such agreements, according a U.S. House panel in a final report to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The House Panel on Public-Private Partnerships released its report on Wednesday, Sept. 17 including recommendations for whenever a P3 is under consideration.

The PPP panel was established by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in January, looking for recommendations on balancing the need to generate more infrastructure funding while protecting the best interest of the public.

The leader of the group of panelists, U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan, R-Tenn., said PPP’s can be a source for needed funding, but officials should proceed cautiously.

“Billions of dollars of infrastructure needs in the U.S. are in search of funding, and well-executed public-private partnerships can enhance the delivery and management of infrastructure,” Duncan said in a statement.

The report advocates a strong federal role in transportation infrastructure.

“One consistent theme throughout the panel’s work was that P3’s are not a source of funding and should not be thought of as a solution to overall infrastructure funding challenges,” the report authors wrote. “Adequate federal investment in transportation and infrastructure is a necessary precondition to modernize our nation’s highways, bridges, rail and transit systems, airports, ports, waterways, and public buildings – regardless of whether individual projects are carried out as P3s or not.”

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