Deloitte has released two reports on infrastructure funding and the use of public-private partnerships to deliver needed projects. The press release from Deloitte states that "after decades of neglect, infrastructure has finally made it to the top of the political agenda."

However, the proposed level of direct government funding will meet only a small fraction of infrastructure needs around the world.  According to the release, the reports entitled "Partnering for value: Structuring effective public-private partnerships for infrastructure" and "The changing landscape for infrastructure funding and finance" look at the economic trends - the global recession and tightened credit markets that have drastically altered the landscape for infrastructure funding and finance - and the impact they have on infrastructure funding, particularly with regard to the prospects for public-private partnerships (PPPs).  The reports analyze these issues and make some concrete recommendations for effective, efficient models to meet the nation's infrastructure needs.

The former report states that, "...to effectively capitalize on this rare window of opportunity, governments need to look beyond the short-term influx of stimulus dollars and articulate a much broader vision for enhancing infrastructure as measured not just by jobs but by enhanced productive capacity for the future."

The latter report concludes that, "...there should be an ongoing role for the private sector in the development of infrastructure and the public services delivered through it. The credit crisis may have temporarily changed the economics of public-private partnerships as financial transactions, but it has only served to highlight the need for new approaches to solving the world's infrastructure problem."

"We need to have an open mind about this.  We need to think outside of the box,” said US Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

For more information on the reports, read the Reason Foundation's policy blog, New Deloitte Reports on Infrastructure Partnerships.