AIAI Members Address Divide between P3 Education, Legislative Decision Makers

NEW YORK, N.Y. — On Nov. 6, select Association for the Improvement of American Infrastructure  thought leaders participated in an important panel at the 18th Annual AGC CFMA Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The panel, led by Geoffrey S. Yarema, a partner with Nossaman LLP, engaged the audience with history on Public Private Partnerships, the opportunities P3 presents for contractors of all sizes and the benefits of P3 for economic and regional growth. The major takeaway from this session was a clarion call for P3 education at the state and local levels in order to understand the value of the pragmatic delivery method.

“It becomes a challenge when one legislator can take down a whole P3 project. More often than not, this is due to misunderstanding and misinformation. Our goal at the AIAI is to provide education and outreach to legislators and local government so that they understand the value and benefits that P3 provides to their constituents for projects that would not otherwise be brought to market,” said Phillip A. Washington, AIAI advisor and general manager and CEO for Denver's Regional Transportation District.

The panel also clarified that while P3 may not be the answer for every project, it's an excellent solution for large-scale infrastructure projects that may not otherwise be brought to market. Additionally, the panel explored how P3s bring job creation, design innovation, efficiencies in project finance, transfer of risk, optimization of resources and capabilities, as well as timely delivery.

The distinguished panel of P3 experts included:

• Geoffrey Yarema, partner, Nossaman LLP (moderator)
• Phillip A. Washington, advisor, AIAI; general manager and CEO, Regional Transportation District Denver
• Richard Fierce, president, AIAI; senior vice president, Fluor
• Kent Marshall, member, AIAI; vice president and director of P3s, Granite Construction
• Mark Kempton, member, AIAI; project director, Skanska

For more information on AIAI's participation in the AGC CFMA Conference, visit: http://aiai-infra.info/agc_cfma_conference_gallery.html. To learn more about AIAI, visit www.aiai-infra.org.