Under a partnership approach, Corvias and Prince George’s County have entered into a 30 year partnership to improve the stormwater infrastructure and make a commitment to impact the local economy through “local” targeted disadvantaged subcontractor development and utilization.
Through our Community Outreach, Contractor Development, and Compliance Programs, we have proactively created procurement opportunities for target class contractors, subcontractors, consultants, and suppliers, and helped bolster economic development while growing local small businesses. These efforts are designed to increase the participation of target class businesses which include local, small, minority, and women owned business enterprises more specifically designated as Prince George’s County business enterprises.
The CWP has been able to accomplish its program goals through the incorporation of the following core guiding principles:
- Efficiency–Aggregate projects and create economies of scale through holistic program initiation, planning, design and project execution;
- Social Value Creation–Improve procurement administration and project delivery from a single project, purely technical scope bias to focus on community resiliency in green infrastructure and local, small and disadvantaged business development and utilization;
- Long Term Sustainability–Identify avenues to create value by analysis of the value chain for green infrastructure resulting in the reduction of the existing costly and time-consuming design and construction methods to streamlined and sustainable commercial practices through integrated design, build, operation, and maintenance procedures; and
- Site Flexibility–Flexibility in the selection of sites through the CWP’s planning and design approach. Through the implementation of program management and controls, the CWP can effectively manage site selection and the triple constraints: scope, schedule, and cost. These processes allow the implementation team to select projects based on the greatest value to the program inclusive of acres treated and procurement opportunities tailored to the needs of local subcontractor capacity and capabilities.
Under a partnership approach, Corvias and Prince George’s County have entered into a 30 year partnership to improve the stormwater infrastructure and make a commitment to impact the local economy through “local” targeted disadvantaged subcontractor development and utilization.
Corvias serves as the “Program Manager”, supplying private financing alternatives and managing the procurement and implementation of the design/build; operations; long term asset maintenance; and socio-economic outcomes as defined by the Master Program and Master Maintenance Agreement between Corvias and Prince George’s County.
Prince George’s County is responsible for oversight and protection of the Community’s long term interests in the assets, local targeted socio-economic performance, and compliance with federal and state water quality requirements for stormwater outlined in the County’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) Permit. The County must approve all decisions such areas as financing, budgets and cash flow, design standards, project prioritization, socio-economic impact, and partner performance and compensation.
At the essence, the Clean Water Partnership embodies the following key transitions from the prior stormwater management approach:
Private Sector Involvement – transfer of municipal planning, design, and execution risk to greater private sector involvement, accountability, shared risk, and investment.
Social Value Creation – shift from a purely technical scope bias to an equal bias for “local” small and disadvantaged business development and utilization.
Long Term Sustainability – from costly and slow government design and construction methods to more streamlined and sustainable commercial practices through integrated design, build, operation, and maintenance practices.
Site Flexibility – from rigid, inflexible, piecemealed contracting approaches to structuring aggregated procurement phases tailored to the needs of the municipality and the local subcontractor capacity and capabilities.
The Clean Water Partnership allows Prince George’s County to have access to private sector efficiencies and expertise to develop, manage, and maintain stormwater infrastructure. As a result Prince George’s County is able to provide County Residents with higher quality stormwater with minimal tax-dollar investment and utilize local county subcontractors with a greater volume of contracting opportunities.
The philosophy of creating a greater volume of contracting opportunities for local small and disadvantaged businesses is designed to maximize competitiveness and incentivize Corvias to deliver balanced social and technical value to Prince George’s County. This is achieved through the following contractual provisions:
- Ensuring long term sustainability and creating a more competitive environment for local small disadvantaged businesses were of paramount concern to the Prince George’s County leadership.
| Program Goals | Indicators | Beneficiaries |
| Schedule/Speed | 2,000 acres in 3 years | Municipality |
| Scale Economies and Performance | 30-40% savings | Taxpayers |
| Community Outreach | Increase awareness of the benefits of the program | Stakeholders and local community and impacted neighborhoods |
| Local Disadvantaged Subcontractor Utilization | Work is executed by local businesses with a goal of 50% | |
| Local Subcontractor Development | Mentor/Protégé program | Local Subcontractor pool |
| Workforce Utilization | Local Residents | |
| Workforce Development | County resident man-hour/job participation at least 51% during the peak construction season (May 1 – September 30 | Local Residents |