State public-private partnership (P3) legislation and P3 project implementation. An exploratory investigation
| Date | 04 March 2019 |
| Published date | 04 March 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JOPP-03-2019-025 |
| Pages | 55-67 |
| Author | Lawrence L. Martin |
| Subject Matter | Public policy & environmental management,Politics,Public adminstration & management,Government,Economics,Public finance/economics,Taxation/public revenue |
State public-private
partnership (P3) legislation
and P3 project implementation
An exploratory investigation
Lawrence L. Martin
College of Health and Public Affairs, University of Central Florida, Orlando,
Florida, USA
Abstract
Purpose –This exploratorystudy aims to look at the policy and public-procurement requirementsset forth
in state public-privatepartnership (P3) legislationand their relationship to P3 project implementation.
Design/methodology/approach –The research uses both cross-sectionaland longitudinal approaches.
The paper begins by defining P3s and discussing their increasing importance as a form of private-sector
delivery of public facilities and infrastructure. The major policy and procurement requirements of state P3
legislation are then identified.Using the public works financing database of 301 P3 project closures between
1996 and 2016, the relationships between state P3 legislative policy and procurement requirements and P3
project implementationare explored.
Findings –The study finds positive associations between 15 of 16 state P3 legislative policy and
procurementrequirements.
Originality/value –This is the first study of its kindsto explore the relationships between state P3 policy
and procurementrequirements and P3 project implementation(project closures).
Keywords State public-private partnership, P3 legislation, P3 project implementation
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
USA is facing a public facilities and infrastructure crisis. Decades of failing to maintain the
nation’s public facilities and infrastructure (e.g. water-waste water, schools, hospitals,
highways, roads, bridges, tunnels, etc.), as well as the deferral of badly needed new public
facilities and infrastructure, has resulted in a crisis of major proportions. The American Society
of Civil Engineers gives a grade of Dþto the nation’s public facilities and infrastructure and
estimates the cost to come up to minimally acceptable levels at some $4tn (ASCE, 2017,2013).
Current government funding levels are insufficient to adequately address the public
facilities and infrastructure crisis (Lawther and Martin, 2015;Geddes and Wagner, 2013).
The federal government has played only a minor role in public facilitiesand infrastructure
financing over the past several years. However, this situation could change if the Trump
administration’s proposed $1tn infrastructure initiative materializes. State and local
governments are still recovering from the effects of the great recession (Kamp, 2017;Pew
Charitable Trusts, 2017;Fisher and Wassmer, 2016;Martin, Levey and Cawley, 2012) and
infrastructure spending has not kept pace with the need (Chen and Bartle, 2017).
Consequently, stateand local governments are increasingly lookingto the private sector and
the use of public-private partnerships(P3s) to reduce the costs of delivering public facilities
and infrastructureas well as generating new sources of financing.
State public-
private
partnership
55
Journalof Public Procurement
Vol.19 No. 1, 2019
pp. 55-67
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1535-0118
DOI 10.1108/JOPP-03-2019-025
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
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