Understanding the Public Sector Perspective
Yukiko Kojima was one of 48 leading lawyers in the U.S. infrastructure sector who met to discuss current developments and trends in infrastructure law on February 5-7, 2023, in New Orleans, LA during the Cambridge Forum on U.S. Infrastructure Law.
Yukiko led the discussion on “Understanding the Public Sector Perspective” together with a fellow Steering Committee member and representatives from the Maryland Transit Administration, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Georgia Department of Transportation. This extended session involved an interactive discussion with individuals who have experience advancing projects at public sector agencies across the country.
Topics discussed included:
- Getting a project off the ground: How do public agencies decide which projects to advance and what type of project development model to utilize?
- Interacting with the private sector: Taking legal requirements into account, how best can the private sector provide input to public agencies during project planning and procurement?
- Context sensitive advice – state & local laws
- Market/industry outreach
- Effective use of Q&R, white pacers and one on-ones during procurement
- Political dynamics: How are projects impacted by political factors and what different political factors impact a project during the course its development?
- Partnership: What makes a successful partnership between the public and private sector during project implementation?
- Meeting challenges: What are some of the most challenging situations public agencies have faced and how have those challenges been met?
- Lessons learned: What lessons learned can be applied to other projects, both in terms of lessons that can be replicated and things that can be done differently?
- Understanding one another: How can the private sector better understand the perspective of the public sector in order to bring more projects to market and to implementation?
Leaders from across the transportation and infrastructure industry also participated in the discussions.