CONFERENCES, MEETINGS and PROGRAMS:
NCPPP conducted the following events during 2001:

• Design-Build Institute of America's Water/Wastewater Odyssey: NCPPP was a cosponsor and provided a full afternoon of sessions on public-private partnerships in water/wastewater. The meeting generated a small income for the Council.
  Leadership Dinner with Angela Styles, Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. This event for Sponsor and Sustaining Members led to the formation of the OFPP Task Force (see Government Affairs, below). The meeting generated a small income for the Council.
• DoD Enhanced Leasing Workshop: This was the most successful workshop NCPPP has conducted to date. Senior DoD personnel and NCPPP Members provided program content, with an audience of nearly 100 attendees (overwhelmingly from the public-sector). The meeting generated a good income for the Council.
• New York Conference Of Mayors (NYCOM): NCPPP worked with NYCOM and the Maxwell School of Business to provide a workshop on development of public-private partnerships, financial management and human relations. Over 60 mayors, city managers and directors of public works participated. The response was sufficiently positive that a second "follow-up" meeting is being planned for 2002. The meeting generated a small income for the Council.
• American Road & Transportation Builders Association's Public-Private Ventures Conference: NCPPP was a cosponsor of this event, with a number of Council members serving on panels. This may be the first step in developing a more coordinated series of programs with ARTBA (see Institutes, below). This meeting did not generate any income.
• Board Forum with Assistant Secretary Lynn Scarlett: To be held in conjunction with the Annual Conference. This meeting will not generate any income for the Council.
• 14th Annual Conference, October 24-26: While turnout has been affected by aftermath of the September 11 incidents, turnout will exceed that of the 2000 meeting. This meeting may only break even, as a result of lower registration numbers than expected.
• Federal Technology Partnership Forum: Scheduled for November, this repeat of last year's event appears to be forming a core of people interested in creation of an institute within NCPPP. This meeting will generate some income for the Council and in addition, general funding support for on-going activities may be coming from several federal agencies.

In addition, groundwork was laid for cosponsoring of a two or three day conference with the Illinois Municipal League (Spring, 2002), as well as possible additional cosponsorships with DBIA, ARTBA and water-related associations.

INSTITUTES:
Water Institute: During the first two quarters of 2001, integration of the former Water Industry Council into the NCPPP was completed, with the formation of the Water Institute of the NCPPP. A meeting of senior people of almost all of the national water companies was held in Woodcliff Lake, NJ in June to facilitate this process. The newly elected Chairman of the WI is Wayne Morgan (American Water). Full development of programs and activities was delayed for a short period with the creation of another association, the Water Partnerships Council, until a clearer definition of relationships between the WI and WPC could be determined. Programs for the NCPPP's group are now beginning to be developed. To date, the WI has assisted with the development of programs for the DBIA conference and the NYCOM meeting (both noted above). In addition, the WI will be conducting a series of seminars on GASB-34 for local officials, under a $10,000 grant from the EPA.

Real Estate Institute: Under the leadership of John Stainback (LCOR), this group is taking shape. Meetings to develop cooperative programs were held with the Urban Land Institute and other related associations. A promotion brochure for the REI's programs has been developed. The turnout for the first event of the REI, a briefing session for prospective members, was negatively affected by the September 11 events.

Transportation Institute: Under the leadership of Ken Butler (CAPITAL PARTNERSHIPS, Inc.), discussions have begun between the NCPPP and ARTBA as to how to most effectively combine the resources of both organizations.

Federal Technology Partnerships Forum: This group's first meeting was in November of 2000. Response to this session was very positive and has led to discussions for the formation of an institute within NCPPP for this unique subject area. Over 20 federal agencies are participating in the second Forum, scheduled for November of this year, and supporting funds for the activities of this institute are projected to be received from several agencies.

COMMUNICATIONS:
The addition of professional staff in this area has led to a substantial improvement in the quality of NCPPP publications and the scope of these publications and communications efforts.

Web Site: Through a series of E-mail outreach efforts and improved content of our web site, the number of visits per month has increased at a remarkable rate (from approximately 2,000 per month to over 35,000 per month). Reformatting of the web site and a substantial increase in the content of that site are expected to begin before the end of this year.

Council Insights: Under the leadership of Art Smith (MAI), who has contributed a substantial number of articles and guidance in the focus of this publication, the level of content continues to improve and a new format is under development (slated for implementation around January 1).

Speeches: Rick Norment continues to have a number of speaking engagements. Other than at NCPPP sponsored or cosponsored events, Norment has also spoken to:

• Southern Growth Policies Board -- a keynote address to over 300 state economic development directors and the Governors of 15 states at their Annual Conference held in Hot Springs, AR.
• Volpe Transportation Center of DOT -- a two-day seminar of 75 public- and private-sector people on partnerships in transportation, held in Boston. MA. A publication of the proceedings will follow within a few months.
• Performance Institute Conference on Partnership in Delivery of Public Health Services in Atlanta, GA with an audience of approximately 150.
• Academy for Educational Development (a non-profit contractor for the US State Department) -- two briefings held in Washington, DC for international delegations (largely from the third-world).
• Fairfax County, Virginia Millennium Series -- a keynote address to over 400 county employees (including a closed circuit telecast), followed by a panel discussion of public-private partnerships.
• Performance Institute Conference on A-76 in Washington, DC with an audience of approximately 80 people, largely from federal agencies.

Press inquiries for interviews with print media continue to increase (largely from trade and regional press). In addition, an interview of Rick Norment was included on ABC's Business Now show in August, as part of a report on a Council Member, MAI.

NETWORKING:
Both Council Members and the general public are increasingly turning to the NCPPP for information on specific aspects of public-private partnerships. Focused e-mails to members have resulted in a number of cases. These inquiries are being generated in part by the NCPPP web site. There is a conscious policy to provide a reasonable level of information, but emphasize that through membership in the Council there are improved opportunities for exchanges of detailed information.

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS:
Water Infrastructure: NCPPP has been active in providing information to balance the report provided by the Water Infrastructure Now coalition's public policy efforts. A briefing for staff of Members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee was part of this effort. Council Members are dedicating an increasing amount of their corporate resources (corporate personnel time and that of their consultants) to this effort. Also, this issue has led to a closer working relationships with the US Conference of Mayors, Association of Safe Drinking Water Agencies, National Association of Water Companies, the Water/Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association, American Iron and Steel Institute and a number of other associations. In addition, the Council was invited to participate in a hearing in March conducted by the Environmental Finance Advisory Board of the EPA. Finally, the NCPPP has made a number of submissions to the General Accounting Office (GAO) in support of their study of partnerships in water/wastewater.

GAO Panel of Competitive Sourcing: NCPPP has provided nominees for the panel, as well as documentation for this group's efforts to evaluate the A-76 and FAIR Act Inventories processes.

Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) -- As a result of a meeting with OMB Director Mitch Daniels, additional meetings were held with Angela Styles, Administrator of the OFPP. A Task Force was formed, which reviewed selected FAIR Act inventories and is submitting proposal and comments to improve the process.

STAFFING AND RELOCATION:
During this year, the restaffing of the Council was completed. Kathy Carney joined the staff in January as Manager of Operations, fulfilling many of the responsibilities previously handled by Peggy McDonald. Melissa Cooper came onboard in July as Manager of Communications, a newly created position already included in the 2001 budget. This growth in staff led to the relocation to our current offices at 1660 L Street, NW. This provided the additional office space needed while remaining within the approved budget guidelines.