AIAI represented across the Nation as we provide education and visibility

 

Representatives of AIAI travelled to four different states over the course of two weeks. April 24 saw Lisa and Carol go west to the P3 Water Summit in San Diego, where the focus on P3 education for public owners was supported by our members, participating on our 11 panels. Member companies included Acciona, ACS/Dragados, Citi, IDE-Technologies, Kiewit, Meridiam, Plenary, Sacyr, Squire Patton Boggs, Sundt, WSP and Zurich. The specific challenges that the water sector faces were addressed with best practices and case studies, and as always our lively Q&A opening and closing panel presentations. Kiewit’s Terry Burgis remarked, “I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the P3 Water Summit. It was a great opportunity to catch up with colleagues across the industry and hear what’s new in the P3 water market. As always, the AIAI sponsored panels were informative and engaging. Thank you so much for all your efforts in organizing this great event.”

Meanwhile, Seth and Marshall headed to the panhandle to Tallahassee to lead a high-level delegation of AIAI members for the first-ever AIAI Florida Fly In.  Kicking-off this one-day fly-in, meetings started with Florida Senate President Bill Galvano, his Senior Advisor Jacqueline Peters, and Deputy Chief of Staff Reynold Meyer. The discussions continued with Kevin Pichard from the Sate University System, State CFO Jimmy Patronis, and new Secretary of Transportation Kevin Thibault.  After a lunch meeting with Mike Rubin of the Florida Ports Council the AIAI delegation closed-out the day with a conversation with the Office of the Governor’s James Blair, Deputy Chief of Staff. 

Each one of the government offices was interested in how they could utilize innovative project delivery models, including P3s.  The Senate President’s office requested more detailed information for congestion mitigation and water projects.  It was suggested that AIAI works to help institutions of higher education with a webinar on P3s for campus financing.  Overall, it was made clear that Florida is ‘open for business’ for new project finance, delivery ideas, and life-cycle maintenance.  It is a new-day in Florida for infrastructure and AIAI will be there to help. Many thanks to representatives from Acciona, Armand Group, Becker Poliakoff, Globalvia, Halff Associates, Hunt Companies.  John Laing, Plenary Group, VINCI Concessions and especially Ananth Prasad, from the Florida Transportation Builders Association for his work in making the Fly-In a worthwhile endeavor for all.

In response to a request from Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary, Dr. Shawn Wilson, Lisa led a team of AIAI member industry leaders who traveled to Louisiana on April 29th for a series of meetings and workshops.

Steve DeWitt, from AIAI Board member company ACS Infrastructure facilitated the discussions and was joined by representatives from Acciona, Fluor, John Laing, Kiewit, and WSP. The team met with state legislators at the Governor’s Office to share best practices and discuss P3 opportunities. Currently working on the Belle Chasse bridge and tunnel replacement project, Louisiana is looking to procure two additional bridges, in Baton Rouge and Lake Charles.

The conversation focused on preparedness, and how to get ready to procure the projects to ensure success. Attendees agreed that the input from AIAI members was valuable, and opened the door to further support to Secretary Wilson and indeed those parties seeking quality procurement to provide much-needed assets to their constituents.

Finishing up In New Jersey on April 29th, Seth spoke on a panel about understanding P3 Financing Structures at the New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority’s (NJEFA) 2019 Workshop on Public Private Partnerships hosted at Mercer County Community College.  Other speakers included representatives of the project advisory field, rating agencies, the State Treasurer’s Office, and bond issuers.  The audience for this invitation-only event comprised of the leadership of all state and county public institutions of higher education in New Jersey.  As everyone in the P3 community eagerly awaits the release of the forthcoming procurement guidelines for the New Jersey Treasure’s Office, the NJEFA is working to prepare public college for the utilization of P3s.  AIAI has and continues to service as a resource for P3 best practices for the NJEFA.