As part of ABC’s partnership with the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP) to educate lawmakers and the construction industry about the benefits of public-private partnerships (P3s), the ABC South Texas Chapter is sponsoring a conference Sept. 11, in Austin, Texas.

The conference is designed to be an interactive workshop that focuses on what owners need to know to evaluate the new developments, viability and procurement methods for water P3 projects in Texas. The agenda can be viewed on the event website.

P3s are defined by the NCPPP as: “a contractual arrangement whereby the resources, risks and rewards of both the public agency and private company are combined to provide greater efficiency, better access to capital, and improved compliance with a range of government regulations regarding the environment and workplace.”

They can help alleviate budgetary issues for public projects and, according to the NCPPP white paper on P3s, they also can help improve the quality of services offered. P3s have been used in the U.S. for more than 200 years and thousands are currently operating today to deliver services or facilities used for water/wastewater, energy, transportation, urban development and social services. In addition to infrastructure, P3s are effective in military housing, courthouses and higher education projects.

Thirty-five states have P3 legislation in place, to some degree, with some laws better than others. Maryland held a similar conference in June. For more information, visit www.ncppp.org and download the NCPPP's P3 white paper, “Testing Tradition: Assessing the Added Value of Public-Private Partnerships.”

For more information or to register for the conference, visit the website, “Public-Private Partnerships: A Solution for Texas Water Management.”