Environmental Incentives has been selected to lead Phase II of the Stormwater Community-Based Public-Private Partnership Pilot Project for the Washington Department of Commerce. Environmental Incentives is leading the project with partners Geosyntec Consultants and Corvias.
The Washington State Department of Commerce seeks to help local governments take advantage of community-based public-private partnerships (CBP3s) to achieve their water quality goals. CBP3 projects help communities make the most of limited resources by partnering with the private sector to implement infrastructure projects that improve water quality and quality of life for their residents. Community benefits can include economic growth, health, and recreation opportunities. The public partner funds the project and the private partner delivers the project, allowing for innovation in project design, cost efficiency, and shared risk among both partners.
“Environmental Incentives is thrilled to support the state of Washington and local phase I and phase II stormwater permittees as they enter the new frontier of public-private partnerships and performance-based contracting. Building on our understanding of the opportunities and barriers to CBP3s from the assessment we conducted last year and experience in other regions, we will design a set of tools specifically targeted at stormwater program managers that will help them take advantage of the opportunities that CBP3s can provide,” said Eoin Doherty, Project Manager.
CBP3s vary dramatically in scale and scope and have different legal and financial considerations compared to traditional projects. Through the project, the Environmental Incentives team will develop a guidebook and set of procurement and contracting tools to help local governments navigate the design and procurement of a CBP3. These tools will build on the findings from Phase I of this project – a feasibility assessment of the barriers and opportunities to leverage CBP3s in Washington – funded by the Department of Commerce and conducted by the Environmental Incentives, Geosyntec, and Corvias team last year.
