[Archived] Alexandria City Council Adopts State Guidelines for Public-Private Partnership Proposals

For Immediate Release: September 21, 2021

At a public hearing on September 18, the Alexandria City Council voted unanimously to amend City Code provisions regulating procurement of City contracts, and adopted a resolution establishing guidelines for soliciting or receiving unsolicited proposals from the private sector as allowed under the Virginia Public–Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002 (PPEA).

“Council’s action allows the City of Alexandria to use the PPEA to provide an additional way for the City to deliver services,” said Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson. “The guidelines allow us to create public–private partnerships to develop a wide range of public projects, if the City determines that there is a need for a project and private involvement can provide that in a timely, cost-efficient way.”

Public–private partnerships are contractual arrangements between public and private sectors that allow for greater private sector participation in delivering public sector projects, services and infrastructure. Public-private partnerships serve as another tool to bring about investment and private sector expertise to the public sector.

The PPEA, adopted by the Virginia General Assembly in 2002, provides that a responsible public entity may not consider any public–private partnership proposal by a private entity for approval of a qualifying project until the responsible public entity has adopted publicly available guidelines that establish the proposal acceptance and review process. Qualifying projects include public buildings and facilities of all types and certain infrastructure and services, telecommunications infrastructure, building security improvements, recreational facilities, and technology infrastructure and services.

The City of Alexandria’s PPEA Guidelines have been adapted from Virginia’s model guidelines and customized based on national best practices, industry feedback, experiences of local jurisdictions with PPEA, and the City’s objectives. The guidelines provide for public engagement in the development of any public-private partnership and require City Council approval of any project.

The City has long been a part of public–private partnerships, such as Covanta’s Waste-to Energy facility at 5301 Eisenhower Avenue; the construction of public parking garages; the Torpedo Factory; the City Courthouse; affordable and workforce housing; as well as the upcoming Landmark Mall site redevelopment. The City also partners with many nonprofit organizations to deliver services to the public.  

Visit the City’s Public-Private Partnerships webpage for more information.

For inquiries from the news media only, contact Andrea Blackford, Senior Communications Officer, at andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3959.