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Invest with us · Public-private partnerships

Built to last the whole concession.

In a P3, the builder lives with its decisions for the full contract term, and availability payments depend on systems that stay up. We design and build public facilities to be ready for operations on Day One and reliable for the whole term, working with agencies, sponsors, lenders and operators to put risk where it is managed best.

What we look for

Partners for the long haul.

  1. P1

    Public owners with a clear need

    Agencies with a defined asset, a realistic procurement timeline and a performance standard they want met for the life of the contract.

  2. P2

    Sponsors and equity partners

    Investors who understand construction risk and want a design-build partner involved from the earliest feasibility work.

  3. P3

    Designers and engineers

    Firms who design for maintainability and lifecycle cost, not only first cost, and who stay involved through commissioning.

  4. P4

    Operators and maintainers

    Facility and asset managers who will run the project after handover and should shape the design while it can still change.

The lifecycle

How a P3 comes together.

Delivery models vary from one agency and state to the next. The pieces below show up in most of them, and we plan for each from the first workshop.

01Develop

Feasibility, value-for-money analysis, early cost and schedule, and a procurement strategy the agency can defend.

02Finance

Equity, debt and public funding brought together by the sponsor team, with construction pricing lenders can rely on.

03Design-build

A fixed-price, date-certain design-build contract between the project company and the builder.

04Operate & maintain

Long-term maintenance, renewals and performance standards, measured against the project agreement.

05Hand back

The asset returned to the public owner at the end of the term in the condition the agreement requires.

Key terms

Risk goes where it is best managed.

Every P3 is a contract about who carries which risk. These are the terms we spend the most time on, described in general. Each project agreement sets its own.

Availability paymentsRevenue

The public owner pays the project company over the term for keeping the asset open and performing to standard. Deductions apply when it is not. Demand risk generally stays with the owner.

Revenue risk concessionsRevenue

On some projects the private partner collects tolls or user fees and carries the demand risk. It changes the financing, the design priorities and the partners involved.

Construction riskBuild

Fixed price and a guaranteed completion date, passed down from the project company to the design-builder and backed by security packages.

Lifecycle obligationsOperate

Planned renewals of roofs, pavements, equipment and systems over the term. Design choices made during construction set the cost of every one of them.

Performance standardsOperate

Measured response times, condition requirements and availability targets that tie payment to how the asset actually performs.

Handback requirementsHand back

Condition surveys and residual life standards the asset must meet when it returns to the public owner.

01

Design for uptime

Redundant power, cooling and network paths, and equipment that can be maintained without taking the asset offline, reviewed before the design is priced.

02

Price that lenders can trust

Preconstruction estimates and schedules built from real quantities, locked long-lead equipment and contingency stated plainly.

03

Commissioned before the clock starts

Level 1 to 5 commissioning, asset data and operator training scoped early, so availability payments begin on a facility that already works.

In practice · Smart Corridor & Traffic Management Center

Public systems that never go dark.

Fiber, cameras, sensors and sign gantries along 26 corridor miles, all feeding a new traffic management center. The kind of long-life, performance-measured public asset that suits a P3, and the kind of cutover we plan around live operations from the first workshop.

26 miles
Corridor
2024
Completed
Design-build
Delivery
What to expect

What P3 partners can expect.

The same commitments on every project, in every market, whatever the size of your firm.

Payment
Clear terms, agreed at awardSubcontract and supply terms on P3 work are set at award, flowed down clearly from the project agreement, and paid on the agreed schedule.
Safety
One standard on every siteSite-specific safety plans, energized-work controls, daily pre-task planning and stop-work authority for every worker on the job, including yours.
Coordination
One model, one scheduleTransparent cost and schedule reporting to sponsors, lenders and their advisors, and independent engineer reviews treated as part of the job.
Growth
Mentoring for emerging firmsP3 programs often carry local and small business participation goals. Rising Trade Partners helps emerging firms take part.

P3 questions.

What role does ScottHarry play in a P3?

Most often the design-builder, contracted to the project company to design and build the asset for a fixed price and date. We can also contribute to development, lifecycle planning and transition into operations.

What is an availability payment?

A regular payment from the public owner to the project company for keeping the asset available and meeting performance standards over the contract term. Deductions apply when standards are missed.

What kinds of assets suit a P3?

Assets with long lives, predictable maintenance needs and measurable performance: emergency communications and operations centers, traffic management systems, water and utility control facilities, university housing and other public buildings.

How do lifecycle obligations affect construction?

They change the math. A cheaper roof or pump that needs replacing early costs the project company later, so we compare first cost against lifecycle cost before design is locked.

Can trade partners and suppliers work on your P3 projects?

Yes. Prequalified subcontractors and registered suppliers are invited to bid P3 scopes. Agencies and sponsors can reach our team at conversations@scottharry.com.

Public-private partnerships

Plan for the next thirty years.

Agencies, sponsors and partners can reach our P3 team directly. Tell us about the asset, the procurement and the timeline.