May 7, 2009

Ed Owen/ New Civil Engineer

The recession has prompted US interest in Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), such as the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), a form of procurement the US has traditionally resisted.

According to research from Halcrow and McGraw-Hill Construction, 92% of experienced state and local officials are ‘interested’ in PPP, while 71% think PPP is just as or more attractive during the financial crisis.

“We are faced with a great opportunity—the opportunity to lead with new thinking regarding infrastructure funding, particularly through vehicles such as PPP,” said Halcrow’s North American president Michael Della Rocca.

“I fundamentally believe it is within our collective ability to redefine the funding, procurement, implementation, management and renewal of our infrastructure assets and provide a network that will make a genuinely positive difference to people’s lives and to the broader wealth of America.”

The report suggests that despite massive investment announced in infrastructure in the President Obama’s 2009 stimulus package - £33.2bn (US$50bn) for transportation alone.

According to the research: “This is only a fraction of the funding needed long-term. The U.S. is facing serious challenges as its roads, bridges and tunnels deteriorate.”

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