“The initial response has been strong, people are definitely interested,” DCOP3 director Seth Miller Gabriel told P3 Bulletin. “I would be shocked if we didn’t get a few bids.”
DCOP3 opened for unsolicited proposals for projects that have been identified by government at the end of November, with the deadline for bids in this first round being 26 January.
The unsolicited proposals could be for a wide range of potential projects, including but not limited to the 12 deals that DCOP3 announced as its initial pipeline in October.
Of those 12 deals, the Street Light Modernization and the corrections center projects are progressing well.
Miller Gabriel said an industry day is to be held in the first quarter of 2017 for the streetlighting scheme, while his colleague Judah Gluckman confirmed that the needs assessment for the corrections facility is now moving close to completion.
The agency is also currently working on public engagement projects to increase awareness and understanding among the community around P3s.
“We are going out to the public to explain what P3s are and what they’re not,” said Miller Gabriel.