On Wednesday, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Panel on Public-Private Partnerships (P3 Panel) released its final report and recommendations on how to balance the needs of the public and private sector to finance the Nation’s infrastructure.

The panel was tasked by Full Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) and Ranking Member Nick J. Rahall, II (D-WV) with examining the current use of P3s across the Committee’s jurisdiction – including all modes of transportation, public buildings, water and maritime infrastructure. The Committee’s Vice Chairman, U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-TN), led the P3 Panel and U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA) served as its Ranking Member. Rep. Duncan issued a statement upon release of the report.

“Billions of dollars of infrastructure needs in the U.S. are in search of funding, and well-executed public-private partnerships can enhance the delivery and management of infrastructure,” he said. “P3s cannot provide the sole solution to all of the Nation’s infrastructure needs, but they can offer significant benefits, particularly for high-cost, technically complex projects that otherwise may risk dying on the vine.”

Rep. Capuano said throughout the process, his focus has been on how to best invest limited federal transportation funds and what role public-private partnerships can play in stretching those dollars.

“The Panel studied numerous P3s throughout the country and found a mix of successful partnerships as well as ones that did not meet expectations,” he said. “Although a transparent and functioning P3 can meet certain transportation needs, when it comes to improving our Nation’s infrastructure there is no question that federal investment remains a key factor in project success…”

Over the last six months, the Panel held hearings and meetings to examine the role P3s can play in the development and delivery of transportation and infrastructure projects. They also considered whether P3s enhance the delivery and management of infrastructure projects beyond the capabilities of government agencies or the private sector acting independently and focused on how to balance the needs of the public and private sectors when identifying, developing and implementing P3 projects.

The final report proposes improvements to traditional procurement processes to ensure better outcomes for all projects. The report includes a series of recommendations for breaking down barriers to P3s and changes to federal programs to allow for partnerships to be more easily considered by states and localities. The report also recommends steps to ensure transparency and accountability for P3s, which is critical to fostering public support for such complex agreements. The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee indicated its intent to use the panel’s recommendations as a resource when considering future legislation.