When a public-private partnership succeeds, everyone is a winner – the public entity, the private enterprise, and the citizens at large. Venable has the experience in business and government to understand the interests of both partners. We help clients in the public and private sectors build partnerships that succeed.
As state and local governments struggle to do more with less, public-private partnerships enable the public and private sectors to share in the risks, responsibilities, and rewards of large-scale projects. But this pairing of business and government can be tricky, requiring a balance of sophisticated finance, real estate, and operational issues with a host of federal, state, and local government requirements.
The intersection of commerce and government is a place Venable knows intimately. Our P3 team guides both public and private entities through every stage of the process. With a multifaceted team of attorneys experienced in a range of practice areas, we understand the workings of the private sector and of government entities, and we know how best to facilitate their collaboration.
Counsel Through Every State of the Project
Experience across Industries and Projects
From toll roads in Texas to transit projects and school buildings in Virginia or a town center in Maryland, Venable enables private- and public-sector clients to create partnerships that drive major development and improvement projects. Our P3 team has the experience and know-how to handle P3s of any scale, anywhere in the country.
We have extensive experience in setting up P3s for transportation and infrastructure projects, including public transit, highways, and bridges. We work with government entities and private companies on mixed-use projects involving residential and commercial public uses, and on projects relating to education, hospitality, and public buildings.
These multilayered transactions require multiple sets of legal skills. Our P3 team brings together attorneys from key practices throughout our firm, including real estate, finance, transportation, business transactions, government relations, environmental, regulatory, construction, technology/IP, and others.
Thoughtful Counsel, from Assessment through Completion
The success of a public-private partnership lies in the care and scrutiny given to its formation. For Venable, the diligence starts at a project's earliest stages, with a thorough assessment of every aspect of a project and of the issues and hurdles it may face.
We then work with both the public and private entity to structure all necessary contracts and agreements. Depending on the project, these may address environmental assessments, design/build/finance/maintain contracts, land use and real estate matters, zoning, coordination and communication across companies and jurisdictions, regulatory issues, post-completion management, and operations.
Our work also involves helping private companies with bid structuring, construction and contractor agreements, and overcoming potential regulatory hurdles.
Public-Private Partnership Finance and Management
When it comes to financing a large-scale project, private enterprise offers options and innovations not always available to public entities, allowing the government to complete major projects it otherwise could not.
Working with clients in the public and private sectors, and with lenders and investors, on both traditional and alternative funding arrangements, we make sure that financing is soundly and securely structured.
We have helped structure equity and debt financing for P3s in jurisdictions across the country and advised on ways to overcome the federal and state regulatory, environmental, tax, and financing hurdles that too often delay or frustrate projects. When a legislative or administrative action by a state or local government is required, we are effective at helping to bring about whatever action is needed.
In addition to project finance, we prepare any agreements necessary to management of the relations between the parties to the P3. These will vary with the nature of the project, but may cover payment arrangements, ownership, leases, and operations.
Practice Focus
- Contract negotiations
- Construction
- Design and planning
- Environmental matters
- Government relations
- Litigation and dispute resolution
- Management and operations
- Project assessment
- Project financing
- Project management
- Real estate and leasing
- Regulatory issues
- Taxation
- Zoning and land use matters