HNTB Corp. continued its aviation industry leadership at the P3 Airport Summit held recently in San Diego. The conference focused on public-private partnership development, project management and networking for airport owners, operators and industry professionals. Tom Rossbach, AIA, HNTB aviation architecture market sector leader and vice president, moderated a panel titled “Eyes Wide Open: Airport Owner P3 Preparedness,” addressing the unique issues facing airports when preparing for public-private partnerships.
The panel also featured HNTB’s Katie Nees, PE, national P3 and strategic advisory practice leader and senior vice president, along with key industry professionals representing airport, construction, development and financial organizations.
The lively session highlighted the need for a clearly defined project and P3 structure, a well-thought-out procurement process, internal political will, managing public expectations and perceptions, and fostering a strong partnership with a variety of stakeholders. Offering a series of questions to ask and issues to overcome when considering the P3 delivery method, the panelists provided a balanced view of the pros and cons of P3s.
“HNTB is pleased to contribute to our industry’s professional growth by sharing valuable insights and knowledge about the important role public-private partnerships can plan in aviation,” Rossbach said. “It’s valuable to bring together a diverse group of colleagues to discuss the challenges airports need to consider when planning, procuring and negotiating successful P3 initiatives.”
At a time when the aviation industry is seeking finance solutions for major airport programs, the Trump administration has encouraged the use of P3s as a possible mechanism to fund infrastructure development in the U.S.
The P3 Airport Summit is a part of P3C, which delivers some of the largest infrastructure focused events in the country and attracts public leaders, project managers, industry executives and P3 development experts. Attendees include senior management from firms in the construction, engineering, design, legal, investment and consulting industries as well as senior business and facility administrators from airports across the nation.
HNTB has a long history of service to airports across the country and is dedicated to serving as a true extension of each airport client's staff. The firm has worked, or is working, at every one of the nation’s top 30 airports, delivering terminals, runways, planning, environmental services and more.
HNTB’s many signature aviation projects include conceptual design of the air traffic control tower at San Francisco International Airport; design of the “Green Build” West Terminal expansion at San Diego International Airport; engineering and architectural design services at Los Angeles International Airport; design and construction management of runway status lights implementation at airports across the country; and Terminal Planning and Owner’s P3 Technical Representative for the new P3 Airport Terminal Development Project for the Bermuda International Airport, now under construction.
