Austere budgets will make achieving priorities more challenging, so we have redoubled efforts to employ ingenuity, prudent fiscal stewardship, insightful decision-making, and robust collaboration with partners to achieve priorities despite challenges. Rather than a threat, we see constrained resources as an opportunity for current and potential stakeholders to see the incomparable value and service the engineer regiment offers them. Our value as trusted professionals and partners has become increasingly important to our stakeholders as they strive to accomplish their missions in an environment of fiscal uncertainty, greater accountability, and increasing risk.
What role do public-private partnerships (P3) have in the success of USACE’s projects and programs?
The Corps of Engineers is actively considering public-private partnerships. We are earnestly exploring how public-private partnerships can help us deliver more high-quality infrastructure through leveraging private-sector investments and developing a culture of innovation for global competitiveness through a highly collaborative environment. We are researching [how] public-private partnerships might improve value for money by creating incentives for best-practice design, timely completion, and efficient operation by sharing project risk with the private sector. We explored case studies from agencies such as state departments of transportation that seem to show early involvement of the private sector can bring creativity, efficiency, and much-needed capital to address complex public infrastructure challenges. We are exploring the possibility of partnering with the private sector for projects involving Corps-managed waterways and ports, but further exploration is needed to determine such things as [to] how the federal investment share of the project would be accounted for in the budgeting process.
We will continue to hone our competitive edge and deliver vital engineering solutions, in collaboration with our partners, to secure our nation, energize our economy, and reduce risk from disaster.
We have successfully entered into one public-private partnership with the communities of Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, relative to a flood risk reduction project. The estimated $1.9 billion project has been selected by USACE as a demonstration project that will be implemented using a split delivery model. Under the split delivery model, the multiple project features will be split into those implemented by the Diversion Authority and those implemented by the USACE. The Diversion Authority has issued a Notice of Intent to deliver the majority of the Diversion Authority’s features through a public-private partnership project. P3 efforts will reduce the federal share from $850 million down to $450 million. The savings result from reduced construction time [16 years down to eight], reduced number of contracts [28 to 11], and reduced risk associated with federal appropriations.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
To Congress, senior DOD [Department of Defense] leaders and the American public, I want to say we will continue to do our very best for you each and every day. We fully understand the importance of the American people’s voice in defining our missions, and in our legislators and leaders to resource them. We will continue to support the American people as a trusted and respected partner for the future as we engineer solutions to the nation’s toughest challenges. Together we will continue to develop, innovate, and deliver engineer solutions for the nation’s most complex challenges.
Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite visited the Fargo, North Dakota/Moorhead, Minnesota, area Aug. 23, 2016, to meet and learn from stakeholders working with USACE’s St. Paul District to build a federal flood damage reduction project. Here, he is being briefed on the in-town levees portion of the project. The city of Fargo is building the in-town levees that are a part of the overall federal flood damage reduction project. USACE photo by Shannon L. Bauer
Our time-honored tradition of extraordinary service traces back to 1775 when the Continental Congress organized an army that included a chief engineer and two assistants. From those humble roots, we have grown into a world-class organization committed to improving the readiness, security, and prosperity of our nation. We will continue to hone our competitive edge and deliver vital engineering solutions, in collaboration with our partners, to secure our nation, energize our economy, and reduce risk from disaster. When engineers are needed, we will be there, now and in the future. We have delivered for over 241 years … and we must maintain our capability with our available resources … our nation needs us!
This interview first appeared in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Building Strong®: Serving the Nation and the Armed Forces 2016-2017 Edition.