The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal of 2021 appropriated $550 billion in new infrastructure spending to rebuild the nation’s roads, bridges and rails and to improve telecommunication infrastructure. Ana-Maria Dimand, assistant professor of public policy and administration in the School of Public Service, published “How can procurement create (sustainable) public value under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal?” in Public Administration Review.
The article examines public procurement capacity challenges to the implementation of the act’s provisions, using survey and interview data to identify critical deficiencies in contract capacity. Dimand and her co-authors noted that governments rely on contractors for public works, and the increased demand brought about by the infrastructure deal might strain existing local, state and federal procurement systems. This could lead to poor project execution, a waste of public money, corruption and erosion of trust.