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SB 2822

AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WORKS -- STATE PURCHASES

2026 Regular Session Introduced by John Burke and 3 co-sponsors

The bill creates a formal framework to use public-private partnerships for Rhode Island projects, emphasizing value-for-money, oversight, labor standards, and competitive procureme

06/18/2026 Signed by Governor
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Bill Summary · SB 2822

Bill Summary: SB 2822 (Rhode Island, 2026)

Purpose and intent

SB 2822 aims to authorize and encourage the use of public-private partnerships (PPPs) for state purchases and projects. It creates a framework to evaluate, solicit, and enter into PPPs, while maintaining state oversight and protections for workers, costs, and project outcomes. The bill emphasizes “value for money” as a central metric and seeks to promote PPP delivery methods where appropriate.

Key provisions and changes

  • Definitions (section 37-2-31):

    • Expands definitions to include “private partner,” “project labor agreement,” and “public-private partnership agreement.”
    • Introduces “risk” and “value for money” as components of evaluating PPPs, including factors like cost, quality, time, and performance.

  • Promotion and use of PPPs (a–b):

    • Allows any contract that serves the state’s best interests to be pursued via PPPs, subject to existing purchasing constraints.

  • Rules and implementation timeline (c):

    • By July 1, 2027, the Chief Purchasing Officer (CPO) must promulgate rules guiding agencies in evaluating, soliciting, or entering PPPs.
    • The rulemaking process must involve consultation with design-builders, construction managers, engineers, architects, labor unions, and other professionals.

  • Oversight and procurement (d–e):

    • Agencies remain responsible for oversight of functions delegated to private partners.
    • PPP procurements must be conducted through competitive state purchasing processes.

  • Required content in PPP solicitations (e):

    • Minimum inclusions: project parameters, private partner duties, oversight methods, agency and partner responsibilities, evaluation factors and scoring weights, and a value-for-money analysis by an independent subject-matter expert.
    • Financing and revenue details: plans for financing, operating the project, service payments, bond financing, and needed appropriations.
    • Private entity qualifications: experience, capitalization, financial condition, and other pertinent qualifications.
    • Labor and wage requirements: compliance with prevailing wages and labor standards (references to applicable Rhode Island labor laws).
    • Compliance: adherence to labor, payment, and construction contracting requirements when state funds are used.
    • For PPPs over $25 million: an objective, reasoned study to determine the use of a project labor agreement (PLA).
    • Labor harmony plans: private partner’s plan for labor relations over the PPP’s term, including remedies for failures.
    • Any additional information the contracting agency deems necessary.

  • Private partner eligibility (f):

    • Private entities must prove capable of performing the duties under a PPP.

  • Labor and privatization safeguards (g):

    • Before awarding any PPP that could affect state or quasi-public employees, the bill requires compliance with privatization and non-state employee contracting laws and applicable collective bargaining agreements.

Affected parties and impact

  • State agencies and the Department of Administration: Must adopt PPP processes, oversight practices, and competitive procurement for PPPs.
  • Private partners (developers, contractors, designers, labor unions): Must engage under PPP frameworks, meet labor standards, provide detailed proposals, and align with value-for-money criteria.
  • Labor and workforce: Prevailing wages and labor harmony requirements become a central consideration, with PLA determinations for larger projects.
  • Public stakeholders: Potentially greater utilization of PPPs could affect project timelines, risk allocations, and long-term maintenance of state-owned assets.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • The bill is effective upon passage.
  • By July 1, 2027, the CPO must promulgate PPP rules, with broad stakeholder consultation.
  • PPP solicitations must include comprehensive, specified information, including value-for-money analyses and labor provisions.

Overall, SB 2822 provides a structured approach to expanding PPP use for Rhode Island state purchases, balancing potential efficiency gains with rigorous oversight, labor standards, and financial accountability.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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