A couple of weeks ago, we announced the launch of a new organization with the goal of providing assistance to cities that seek support with budget, procurement, staffing and innovation. Called Partners for Public Good (PPG) it’s supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, and is intended to expand dramatically on work that was incubated for many years at Harvard Kennedy School’s Government Performance Lab. 

PPG has been moving quickly to launch its initial offer of free technical assistance for city infrastructure projects. 

In our original article, we noted that there were some small projects already underway, but the major invitation for cities to participate only occurred on December 10. The free technical assistance that’s offered is available to cities of all sizes, even very small ones that face challenges in the maintenance of roads, bridges, sewer systems and so on. The focus is both on how to ease city capacity gaps in procurement and help cities with operational challenges that stand in the way of completing projects in a timely and cost-effective way.

Over the next few years, PPG plans to continue working with hundreds of cities across the country on a variety of other topics, as well. As Rebecca Graffy, Director of Transformation at PPG explains, infrastructure was chosen as the first major launch due to critical city needs, given that one third of water mains in the country are over 50 years old and a third of US bridges require major repairs or replacement. 

These are the three free technical assistance projects that PPG is now offering. 

Rapid Project Support. This assistance is geared to cities that need immediate hands-on help with procurement assistance for an infrastructure project or with operational assistance that will bring a project “across the finish line,” according to Graffy, Help will come in the form of a PPG staff expert who will work with a city for about three months through an online relationship. Graffy notes that the support is tailored and customized to a city’s need.

A key aspect of this work will involve writing and managing priority procurements. For example, when a project is funded, there is often a need to create a team that may include an architect, an engineer, a construction firm, or project manager to get the work done. 

This includes “inviting partners in” through Requests for Information or Requests for Proposals. Beyond that initial outreach and decision-making lies the critical task of setting up functional managerial and working relationships. As Graffy says, PPG will be offering assistances where a shortage of staff or expertise would create “a gap that we’re working to fill.”

Solicitation Workshops. Part of the new service provided by PPG takes the form of workshops in which cities will be matched up with each other based on individual needs. For example, one workshop topic that’s currently being offered is geared to cities that don’t have internal expertise to manage their upcoming infrastructure project but need to contract with a project manager. Another workshop helps cities that perceive a thin pool of available vendors and need to conduct research or extend outreach to attract a broader vendor pool.

Workshops offer both coaching from experts and other benefits that come from working with each other. The workshops will take place in once-a-week meetings over a span of four to eight weeks. 

One-on-one Consultation. With a growing staff, PPG is offering to share staff expertise with cities that would like help with challenges or gaps that stand in the way of moving forward on infrastructure projects. Graffy says she expects to hear from cities that may be weighing the pros and cons of different contracting structures or who are interested in updating their procurement policy or code to enable more vendor participation. Or they may just want to bounce ideas off an expert with infrastructure and procurement expertise.

More information about these technical assistance offers, and short application forms are available here. In some cases, the deadlines are only a few days away (December 19), but other offerings will be coming in the new year. Cities interested in one-on-one consultation will find a Partners For Public Good contact page here.  

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