A new profile of global infrastructure corporation Black & Veatch highlights a potential bidder in Canadian water and wastewater privatization deals.
Black & Veatch has several biosolids consulting contracts with Canadian municipalities, but has yet to win a major water or wastewater P3. In 2010, the corporation was shortlisted for a major consulting services contract for Winnipeg’s wastewater treatment plant upgrades.
Black & Veatch has numerous large-scale contracts to design and build water and wastewater plants in the United States, the United Kingdom and Asia.
The profile is one of several published jointly by CUPE and the Polaris Institute. The Public risks, private profits series shines a spotlight on water and wastewater services corporations who may bid on Canadian P3s. The profiles provide overviews of corporate structures and governance, lobby activity, past and present P3 contracts, and background on legal troubles or controversies.
The companies being profiled are diverse, ranging from international corporations to smaller Canadian-based financers and contractors. All have been identified by federal P3 promotion agency PPP Canada as likely bidders on Canadian water and wastewater P3s.
The Public risks, private profits series is an important tool for communities challenging P3s. Pressure to privatize is mounting, with federal crown corporation PPP Canada targeting municipal water systems, and the Conservative government’s Building Canada Fund forcing all infrastructure projects worth $100 million or more to be screened for P3 suitability.