CDOT’s David Spector Honored with National Public-Private Partnership (P3) Award

DENVER— David Spector, director of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) High Performance Transportation Enterprise (HPTE), has been recognized for excellence in innovative transportation financing by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA).

The award was presented July 13 during ARTBA’s 29th Annual Public Private Partnerships (P3s) in Transportation Conference, held in the nation’s capitol. The P3 Entrepreneur of the Year award is given to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the forward progress of P3s in the U.S. transportation industry.

“It’s an honor to represent Colorado, CDOT and HPTE,” said David Spector, HPTE Director. “We will continue working hard to find innovative ways to advance and improve our infrastructure to make Colorado’s transportation system the best it can be.”

Spector’s career has focused on providing strategic direction and advice on high-profile public-private infrastructure projects. While at HPTE, a division of CDOT that uses P3s, Express Lanes, and other innovative methods to finance and improve the state’s transportation infrastructure, he has shared Colorado’s unique experience with P3 and innovative finance to audiences across the country, and he serves as a resource to other state and local governments seeking to learn more about these initiatives. In the next year, Spector will be leading HPTE’s efforts working with academic institutions to educate state and local elected officials, governments considering P3s, and other stakeholders about the realities, myths and implementation of P3s, to help them understand how they can be used for a variety of infrastructure needs.

Spector has been a leader for the advancement of P3s for CDOT and other public agencies. He oversaw the completion of the US 36 Express Lanes project, which ARTBA named 2016 P3 Project of the Year, and is currently leading the procurement for the Central 70 Project.  He also led HPTE through recent organizational and structural changes, aligning operations more clearly with CDOT’s strategic goals, including the focus of its role as toll operator of Colorado’s Express Lanes, and integrating with other CDOT divisions. He has refined several business rules, including the P3 Procurement Management Manual to provide current and future P3 projects with clear and consistent internal and external processes. In the process, HPTE has evolved from a start-up P3 delivery organization to an established business which can serve as a model for other agencies as they endeavor to enter or grow their own programs.

Learn more about High Performance Transportation Enterprise (HPTE) at www.coloradohpte.com.