Built to last the whole concession.
In a P3, the builder lives with its decisions for decades. We design and build with the operating years in mind, and we work with public agencies, equity sponsors, lenders and operators to put risk where it can be managed best.
Partners for the long haul.
- 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.
- P2
Sponsors and equity partners
Investors who understand construction risk and want a design-build partner involved from the earliest feasibility work.
- P3
Designers and engineers
Firms who design for maintainability and lifecycle cost, not only first cost, and who stay involved through commissioning.
- 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.
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.
Feasibility, value-for-money analysis, early cost and schedule, and a procurement strategy the agency can defend.
Equity, debt and public funding brought together by the sponsor team, with construction pricing lenders can rely on.
A fixed-price, date-certain design-build contract between the project company and the builder.
Long-term maintenance, renewals and performance standards, measured against the project agreement.
The asset returned to the public owner at the end of the term in the condition the agreement requires.
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.
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.
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.
Fixed price and a guaranteed completion date, passed down from the project company to the design-builder and backed by security packages.
Planned renewals of roofs, pavements, equipment and systems over the term. Design choices made during construction set the cost of every one of them.
Measured response times, condition requirements and availability targets that tie payment to how the asset actually performs.
Condition surveys and residual life standards the asset must meet when it returns to the public owner.
Design for the operating years
Our facilities and transition team reviews the design for access, durability and maintenance cost before it is priced.
Price that lenders can trust
Preconstruction estimates and schedules built from real quantities and self-perform production rates, with contingency stated plainly.
Handover planned from day one
Commissioning, asset data and O&M training scoped early so the operator inherits a building or roadway it can run.
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, daily pre-task planning and stop-work authority for every worker on the job, including yours.
- Communication
- Straight answers, earlyTransparent 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 MarkWester 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 and predictable maintenance needs: highways and bridges, transit facilities, water and wastewater plants, courthouses, 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 partners@markwester.com.
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.