Working through 'sticky issues' to improve PPPs

A decade ago, only the U.S. Agency for International Development leveraged public-private partnerships as a business model, as part of the mandate of then-Administrator Andrew Natsios.

But Jim Thompson, director of innovation at the U.S. Department of State, told Devex Impact Associate Editor Adva Saldinger that there are now 23 federal agencies involved in some way in PPPs — a testament to how the last two administrations valued “working with and through others” to accomplish development goals and objectives.

And while Thompson expressed optimism about the future of PPPs and interagency participation, he admitted there remain “sticky issues” that still need to be resolved, such as the question of procurement versus partnerships, for example.