May 2, 2012

New round of P3 Canada funding opens

KELLY LAPOINTE

staff writer

PPP Canada’s fourth call for proposals for the P3 Canada Fund will focus on public infrastructure projects that promote jobs and stimulate economic growth.

The recently announced “round four” encourages provinces, territories, First Nations and municipalities to submit projects that will deliver maximum value for Canadians, such as transportation, water/wastewater, solid waste disposal and brownfield redevelopment related projects.

“Preference will be given to those projects that demonstrate substantial involvement by the private sector throughout the project’s life cycle and provide evidence that as a P3 the project will deliver value for money compared to traditional procurement,” said John McBride, CEO of PPP Canada.

PPP Canada works with other levels of government to promote the effective use of public-private partnerships (P3) through advocacy, expertise and the strategic use of the P3 Canada Fund.

The $1.2 billion P3 Canada Fund is a merit based program, designed to incent the use of P3 procurement in delivering public infrastructure projects.

Eligible projects can receive up to 25 per cent of the direct cost of construction supported through non-repayable contributions, repayable contributions, loans or loan guarantees.

The first round was launched in the fall of 2009 and received 20 applications. Each round garners more interest, said Lisa Mitchell, PPP Canada director of strategy and policy. The second and third rounds saw 73 and 121 applications, respectively.

“I would say one of the biggest things that we’ve noticed in terms of trends of the last little while is increased interest from Canadian municipalities. Of the 121 in round three, 80 of them came from municipalities across the country,” she said in an interview with the Daily Commercial News.

Though there are 15 eligible categories, Mitchell said the majority of applications in previous rounds, particularly in round three, were in the transportation and water and wastewater sectors.

She attributes this to the increase in participation from municipalities.

Projects do not have to be bundled to be eligible.

“Bundling can be helpful, especially for smaller projects if you bundle them into one larger contract. It’s easier to build the economy…to realize value for money, to generate the competition and to attract investors. But it’s not a requirement,” said Mitchell.

This recent call for proposals closes on June 15.

To date, PPP Canada has announced more than $109 million in funding commitments for seven projects under the first and second rounds. Round Three announcements are expected in the coming months.

The $1.2 billion is committed over a five-year period starting 2009/10 and is allocated to PPP Canada on an annual basis, subject to approval by Parliament.

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