Overview
A nationally recognized leader in the field of public-private partnerships (P3s), Corey Boock offers clients more than 30 years’ experience in structuring, procuring, financing and negotiating cutting-edge deals in the transportation industry, as well as the social infrastructure, water/wastewater and solid waste sectors.
Corey handles a wide range of P3 and alternative project delivery and innovative finance approaches including concession/franchises, availability payment models, design-build, design-build-finance (DBF) and design-build-operate-maintain (DBOM). He has represented public agencies as well as private sponsors and contractors in Alaska, Arizona, California, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and British Columbia.
Largely because of his leadership role in the financial close of the precedent-setting $1.18 billion East End Crossing project (now known as Lewis and Clark Bridge), Law360 profiled Corey as a Project Finance MVP in 2013. The East End Crossing project and financing included the largest issue of Private Activity Bonds (PABs) for a U.S. P3 transportation deal and was the first bridge availability payment concession transaction in the country.
Corey, who is Chambers-rated nationally and globally in the field of P3s, guides state departments of transportation, regional and local transportation agencies and municipalities in developing P3 programs from the outset. These include the Arizona Department of Transportation, the Indiana Finance Authority/Indiana Department of Transportation, the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Nevada Department of Transportation, the City and County of San Francisco, the Riverside County Transportation Commission and the Texas Department of Transportation (the largest P3 program in U.S. history).
In the social infrastructure and water infrastructure realms, Corey is at the forefront of applying proven P3 models to develop governmental facilities projects such as street lighting, government campuses, courthouses and prisons, as well as water and wastewater treatment facilities, including biogas facilities.
Experience
Experience
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency – Potrero Yards Modernization. Co-leader of the legal team advising SFMTA on the procurement of a modern bus maintenance and storage facility equipped to serve the projected future needs of SFMTA’s new battery electric bus fleet, together with a mixed residential and commercial development at the 4.4 acre project site. The project, with an estimated construction cost in excess of $500 million, will be delivered through a Pre-Development Agreement (PDA) method that will result in an availability payment DBFOM concession. The project also includes potential housing development above and alongside the bus facility.
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission – Biogas Utilization Project. Co-leader of the legal team advising SFPUC on the procurement of the SEP Biogas Utilization Project in San Francisco, California, through a public-private partnership agreement. Nossaman is responsible for drafting the revenue-risk PPP agreement that addresses the design, construction, financing, operation, and maintenance of the SEP Biogas Utilization Project, including the sale of biogas and marketing the environmental and tax credits. The project will include treating digester gas to natural gas quality, injecting the gas into a nearby Pacific Gas & Electric natural gas pipeline and selling the gas as a renewable fuel eligible for environmental credit programs. The project’s construction costs are estimated at USD 50m. An RFQ was issued for the project in April of 2023 and the RFP was issued in October/November 2023. Award is anticipated in mid to late 2024.
Michigan Department of Transportation/Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority – Line 5 Pipeline. Co-leader of the legal team advising MDOT/MSCA on the state’s oversight of the private development of a new tunnel under the Mackinac Straits to house a petroleum pipeline and utilities, replacing existing pipelines running along the floor of the Mackinac Straits.
Michigan Department of Transportation – I-75 Modernization Project (Segment 3) P3. Leader of the legal team advising on an availability payment P3 concession for the widening and reconstruction of a portion of Interstate 75 in the Detroit area. The $600mm capital cost project is the first major upgrade done on the highway since its construction in the 1960s. The project adds a lane in each direction and includes construction of a major underground stormwater tunnel. Corey assisted MDOT with the structuring of the procurement, the drafting and negotiation of procurement and contract documents and the development of the evaluation and selection process.
Michigan Department of Transportation – Street Lighting P3 Project. Co-leader of the legal team advising on an approximately $125 million availability payment P3 concession project – the first transportation P3 in Michigan and the first freeway lighting P3 in the U.S. The award-winning project replaced approximately 15,000 new lights across bridges, tunnels and roadway in the Detroit region. Corey assisted the agency in developing the commercial structure of the concession agreement and negotiating the agreement with the preferred proposer. He also led the Nossaman team supporting the transaction’s successful financial close.
Indiana Finance Authority/Indiana Department of Transportation – P3 and Design-Build Program. Leader of the legal team advising the Authority on availability payment projects within its innovative P3 and design-build infrastructure program. Indiana has established itself as a national leader in leveraging private-sector capital and innovation to finance, construct and maintain major transportation infrastructure projects.
- Indiana Finance Authority – East End Crossing (Lewis and Clark Bridge). Leader of the legal team that advised on the first bridge procured via an availability payment public-private partnership transaction in the U.S. The 8.5-mile Lewis and Clark Bridge, is a key piece of the $2.3 billion Ohio River Bridges Project, which provides safer, more reliable travel between Kentucky and Indiana. The project opened in December 2016 and won more than a dozen industry awards. Corey was involved with the procurement, drafting and finalizing RFQ and RFP documents, developing and administering the evaluation process, and negotiating the contract agreement.
- Indiana Finance Authority – Ohio River Bridges Toll Service Provider. Leader of the legal team that advised on a project to secure a toll service provider to provide, operate, manage and maintain a toll collection system for the Ohio River Bridges project, as well as provide back-office and customer service support. The ORB project includes East End Crossing (now known as the Lewis and Clark Bridge), and the Downtown and Kennedy Bridges. The contract was awarded in November 2014 and the project is currently operational.
- Indiana Finance Authority – I-69 Major Moves 2020 Expansion Project. Leader of the legal team that advised on the state’s first best value design-build project to upgrade sections of the I-69 in Hamilton and Madison counties. The $85 million project involves adding a third travel lane northbound and southbound, a southbound auxiliary lane, interchange improvements, bridge widening and structural enhancements. Corey helped structure the project procurement and commercial framework, including use of an innovative evaluation approach focusing on maximizing project scope.
- Indiana Finance Authority/Indiana Department of Transportation – I-69 Section 6 Contract 5 Project. Leader of the legal team advising on a $750 million design-build overhaul of a portion of Indiana's I-69. It involves full reconstruction and widening of a portion of I-465, the conversion of at-grade crossings to interchanges or overpasses, reconstruction and construction of local access roads, reconfiguring of existing interchanges, and a new system interchange for I-69 and I-465. An RFQ and RFP were issued in July 2019 and March 2020 respectively, and the agreement with the Design-Build Contractor was executed in November 2020.
- Indiana Department of Transportation – I-65/I-70 North Split Project. Leader of the legal team advising on a $316 million design-build project to improve the safety and operations of the I-65/I-70 North Split interchange in Indianapolis. The Project includes new or replacement of 42 bridges, rehabilitation of six bridges, replacement of 27.6 lane miles of pavement and a non-tolled highway. An RFQ and contract were issued in April 2019 and June 2020 respectively.
- Indiana Department of Transportation – Sherman Minton Corridor Project. Leader of the legal team advising on a $137 million design-build project that involves rehabilitating the I-64 Sherman Minton Bridge, as well as the associated Indiana and Kentucky approach bridges. The long-term repairs, along with normal preventive maintenance, will add up to 30 years of service life to the bridge. An RFQ was issued in December 2019, an RFP in June 2020, and the DB contract was awarded in March 2021.
North Carolina Department of Transportation – I-77 Managed Lanes Project. Co-leader of the legal team that advised on the procurement of a $600 million highway improvement project, which was the state’s first toll concession and included TIFIA financing. The project is the first hybrid toll concession model to structure a credit support vehicle for lenders in conjunction with a traditional toll revenue risk concession. Corey assisted with structuring, development, procurement and administration of the P3, including drafting and negotiation of procurement and contract documents. The project is currently in operation.
Nevada Department of Transportation. Leader of the legal team that helped coordinate major programmatic and project work for NDOT under NDOT’s alternative delivery authority. Services include development of programmatic guidelines and manuals, counseling on legislative amendments, initial project screening and feasibility assessments and implementation of procurements for projects that prove feasible. Project and programmatic work includes:
- Progressive Design-Build Program. Advising NDOT as it considers pursuing legislation and the development of a progressive design-build program.
- Henderson Interchange. Advising on this $200-$300mm design-build interchange project to improve capacity and operations of the Henderson interchange and surrounding roadway network.
- I-15 Tropicana. Advising on this $175+ mm design-build project to improve capacity and operations for the I-15/Tropicana Avenue interchange and surrounding roadway network in the Las Vegas/Resort Corridor area. Project awarded in 2021. Construction is ongoing.
- Project Neon. Advised on a nearly $560 million project to realign and improve 3.7 miles along the I-15 in downtown Las Vegas from the Sahara Interchange to the U.S. 95/I-515 Interchange the Spaghetti Bowl – an area with the highest congestion in the city. Construction began in April 2016 and was completed in Fall 2019.
- Unsolicited Proposal. Feasibility analysis of an unsolicited proposal for a DBFOM/availability payment P3 for a potential project in Northern Nevada.
- SBX Design-Build. Advised on this $150 million project reconfiguring a system interchange and other improvements along I-580 and I-80 in the Reno area. Project award occurred in 2019.
- Garnet Design-Build. Advises on the design-build procurement of a $70 million project to ease congestion at the I-15/US 93 Interchange (Garnet Interchange) and upgrade US 93 along a 5-mile segment adjoining Garnet Interchange. The project commenced in August 2017.
- USA Parkway. Design-Build procurement for a nearly $76 million project to extend the existing USA Parkway south to U.S. 50 near Silver Springs in Lyon County.
- I-80. Advised on procurement of a $72 million DB contract for improvements to the I-80 corridor through Reno. The project included pavement rehabilitation, installation of ITS, off-ramp widening and re-striping and drainage improvements. It was completed in 2013.
- Mesquite Parkway. Advised on the design-build procurement for the reconfiguration of the I-15/Falcon Ridge Parkway/Mesquite Boulevard Interchange along the I-15 mainline.
- Pioneer Program. Assisted in the development of the original Pioneer Program manual and program documents and subsequent amendments for NDOT’s program for alternative project delivery.
- Construction Manager at-Risk (CMAR) Program. Drafted template contract documents for this program. Our services included assisting NDOT and its technical advisors in evaluating and addressing procurement and project risks associated with the method, the agreement for pre-construction services, definition of scopes of work and the process for negotiation of construction contracts. We also developed key programmatic contract provisions.
Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) I-15/SR-91 Express Lanes Connector. Leader of the legal team advising on the development and procurement of a $165 million project to add an express lanes connector along a portion of the I-15 to allow for a seamless transition for motorists, reduce congestion, enhance safety and increase travel time reliability.
Riverside County Transportation Commission – I-15 HOT Lanes. Leader of the legal team that advised on development, procurement and financing of a project to add tolled express lanes along a portion of the heavily traveled I-15 in Riverside County. The $425 million-$450 million upgrade will feature 15 miles of managed lanes in the median in each direction from Cajalco Road north to SR-60. The project involved separate procurements for a toll services provider, initiated in December 2015 and awarded in 2017, and a design-build contractor, launched in January 2016 and awarded in 2017. It is currently under construction. Corey’s responsibilities include structuring the procurements, drafting procurement and contract documents, risk analysis, advising on federal and state requirements and developing cooperative agreements with local and state entities.
Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) – SR 91 Express Lanes. Leader of the legal team that advised on the development, procurement and financing (including a TIFIA loan) of a $1.3 billion project to add four high-occupancy toll lanes through some of the heaviest traffic in Southern California. The project was RCTC’s first design-build project and opened in 2017. Corey assisted with a broad array of issues including structuring the procurement, drafting procurement and contract documents, risk analysis, advising on federal and state requirements, developing cooperative agreements with local and state entities.
San Bernardino County Transportation Authority – I-10 Corridor Contract 1. Leader of the legal team advising on development and procurement of a design-build project to add tolled express lanes along a portion of the heavily traveled I-10 in San Bernardino County. The $600 million upgrade will feature 10 miles of managed lanes with two tolled express lanes in each direction. The project used separate procurements for a design-build contractor, launched in December 2016 with the contract awarded in August 2018, and a toll services provider, initiated in January 2017 with the contract awarded in June 2018. Corey’s responsibilities include structuring the procurements, drafting procurement and contract documents, risk analysis, advising on federal and state requirements, developing cooperative agreements with local and state entities and contract administration.
City of Indianapolis – Marion County Justice Center. Leader of the legal team that advised on all aspects of an innovative availability payment P3 project to consolidate the city’s criminal justice functions into a single efficient center. The plan, one of the first of its kind for a justice complex, called for $500 million of up-front design, construction and financing costs to shift to a private partner responsible for operating, maintaining and upgrading the facility for 35 years. The 1.2 million-square-foot facility combined a new adult detention center with a community corrections facility, courthouse, sheriff’s department offices and new surface parking. The city released an RFP to three shortlisted teams in June 2014 and selected a preferred bidder in December 2014. After successfully completing negotiations with the bidder, the mayor and city staff recommended awarding the project and advancing with commercial and financial close. The city council, however, decided not to move forward with the complex and cancelled the procurement after receiving three compliant bids.
Arizona Department of Transportation – Phoenix Metropolitan Area Freeway Lighting Project. Leader of the legal team that advised on the development, procurement and financing of an availability payment DBFOM project to upgrade more than 19,000 luminaires from high-pressure sodium to LED technology covering approximately 300 miles of controlled access highway throughout the greater Phoenix area. The project contemplated an anticipated two-year construction/installation period and a 15-20-year term for performance-based operations and maintenance.
Partnerships British Columbia/British Columbia Ministry of Transportation – Sea-to-Sky Highway. Key advisor on a project to rebuild a 62-mile scenic highway connecting Vancouver and Whistler Ski Resort for the 2010 Winter Olympics. We assisted with the successful procurement of a CAD $600 million contract awarded to a Macquarie/Kiewit/Hatch Mott MacDonald consortium, thus utilizing the Province’s first proposer consultation process Nossaman developed. The concessionaire completed the project ahead of schedule in 2009, within budget and without material claims. Corey’s role also included advising on the procurement process, concession agreement and risk allocation.
Veolia Water (formerly known as U.S. Filter) – Water/Wastewater Projects. For more than 15 years, has served as West Coast regional counsel to this international design-build contractor and operations and maintenance service provider of water and wastewater services in connection with industrial projects and municipal privatizations of water and wastewater treatment facilities. Projects have included operations and maintenance agreements, design-build agreements and DBOM agreements. Corey’s responsibilities have included preparing and drafting the legal portions of this client’s RFP submissions, structuring all legal aspects of the transactions, drafting and negotiating the major project agreements, and helping to structure financing for the projects.
- Veolia Water – Design-Build, Design-Build-Operate-Maintain, Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain, Operate-Maintain. Advisor on design-build (DB), design-build-operate-maintain (DBOM) and P3 transactions in the California cities of Arvin, Burlingame, Lathrop, Palm Springs, Richmond and Santa Paula. We have also worked on matters in Honolulu, Indianapolis and Plattsburgh, New York.
- Concessions/Public-Private Partnership (P3) – Rialto, CA. Advisor on the precedent-setting use of a P3 structure for a water/wastewater project in Rialto, CA. The 30-year $175 mm concession agreement provides for approximately $40 million of near-term capital improvements, long-term operations and maintenance of water/wastewater facilities, and potential future capital improvements. Corey helped negotiate and document all project agreements involving the client.
County of San Diego – Solid Waste System Divestiture. Primary attorney that served as primary legal advisor for the county in a $180 million divestiture of its solid waste system and assets, including multiple landfills and a transfer station. The transaction, the largest municipal divestiture of solid waste assets in the U.S at the time, was the first successful privatization of publicly owned landfill assets in California in many years. Corey structured and implemented the procurement process. He served as lead drafter and negotiator for the county on all aspects of the transaction, coordinated all due diligence, and closed the multi-property escrow as scheduled.
The Newhall Land and Farming Company – Chiquita Canyon Landfill. Advisor in connection with the sale of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, one of the largest facilities of its type in Los Angeles County. Corey drafted and negotiated all transaction documents and coordinated closing of the sale, including the procurement of environmental insurance and permitting issues. He also drafted and negotiated a landfill operating agreement with a third-party operator that was ultimately not implemented due to a litigation settlement and the resulting sale of the landfill.
County of Sonoma – Solid Waste System Divestiture. Primary attorney that advised the County in connection with divestiture of its solid waste system. The transaction included the Central Landfill and five transfer stations. Our services included coordinating all due diligence, helping develop and implement the county’s procurement process, drafting and negotiating all procurement and contract documents and coordinating activities of County financial advisors. Corey coordinated all due diligence, helped develop and implement the county’s procurement process, and coordinated the activities of county financial advisors. He prepared all procurement documents and drafted and negotiated the purchase and long-term disposal agreement with the selected proposer. A final agreement was brought to the Board for consideration, with three of the five supervisors voting in favor of the transaction.
Insights
Publications
Blog Posts
Speaking Engagements
News
Multimedia
Organizations
Community & Professional
Design-Build Institute of America
Commercial Real Estate
Honors & Recognitions
Los Angeles Times, B2B Publishing, “2024 Visionaries” in Commercial Real Estate, 2024
Individual recognition for Projects, PPP – Nationwide, Chambers Global, 2015-2023
Individual recognition for Projects, PPP – Nationwide, Chambers USA, 2014-2024
Los Angeles Times, B2B Publishing, "Banking & Finance Visionary" honoree, Los Angeles County: Banking and Finance - Trends, Updates, Visionaries, 2022
Listed, The Legal 500 United States, Industry Focus - Finance - Project Finance - Advice to Sponsors, 2019-2024
Practices
Industries
Education
- University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, J.D., 1990, Order of the Coif
- Stanford University, A.B., 1987, with distinction
Admissions
- California