FEMA Fact Sheet: July 2021

July 2021 1

Building Private-Public Partnerships 

Executive Summary

The revision of the National Response Framework in 2019 emphasized government and 

private sector collaboration to support effective coordination of resources and the 

stabilization of community lifelines. The National Integration Center released the Building 

Private-Public Partnerships guide in July 2021 that helps public and private sector 

emergency managers collaborate to increase resilience. 

This guide provides a business case, a four-step process, recommendations and resources for any jurisdictions 

to establish, maintain or mature a mutually beneficial cooperative private-public partnership (P3) to collaborate, 

coordinate and implement mitigation, response and recovery planning and preparedness. 

The P3 Development Process

A P3 for emergency management is any type of informal or formal cooperative arrangement between two or more 

organizations of private industry and the public sector for their mutual benefit that is designed to ensure the life 

safety, economic security and resilience of jurisdictions. The guide provides a simple process to create or refine P3s. 

Plan: The optimal time to initiate the P3 process is during “blue-sky” periods pre-disaster. Organizers should 

determine whether a P3 is strategic, responsive or both. A diverse membership maximizes the shared benefits.

Engage: Leverage existing business alliances, affinity groups and organizational structures, as well as issuing a 

broad and inclusive invitation to participate. The guide provides numerous examples of adapting established 

structures to advise on and implement resilience building actions.
Building Private-Public Partnerships Guide

Learn more at fema.gov July 2021 2

Integrate: A P3 should develop common resilience and disaster operations objectives based on an assessment of 

shared disaster risk exposure. Some P3s at higher levels of maturity may establish a virtual or physical BEOC. In May 

2020 the BEOC Quick Start Fact Sheet was released.

Assess & Refine: Continuous improvement is essential to P3 development and maturation. Successful P3s have a 

clarity of purpose, targets and outcomes that can be measured and tracked over time.

Getting Started

The guide provides numerous examples, resources and checklists for building or maturing a P3. These include: 

 Startup Checklist - Appendix B provides an example of a P3 startup checklist that provides planning, 

engagement, integration and assessment guidance.

 Charter - Appendix F provides an example charter for formally organizing a P3.

 Membership Agreement - Appendix G provides a sample P3 membership agreement.

 Job Description - Appendix H provides a sample job description for a P3 coordinator.

 Examples - Appendix J provides examples of how a few jurisdictions conduct P3 engagements.

Whole Community Resilience

A P3 can help to mitigate stressors on individuals 

and communities that a disaster causes, such as 

job loss, damaged housing or the inability to operate 

small businesses, by strengthening social networks 

and connections, improving social cohesion and 

fostering an environment of diversity and inclusion. 

A P3 provides a mechanism to address resilience 

challenges, confirm mutual priorities, engage in 

problem-solving dialogue and identify capabilities 

that benefit the whole community and are scalable 

from a local crisis to a national disaster.

What Can A P3 Do?

 A P3 connects people, business, organizations, and government to build relationships and collaboration. 

 A P3 offers an ideal forum to assess risks and vulnerabilities, develop stabilization targets for its jurisdiction and 

contribute to efforts that keep community lifelines and supply chains operational.

 A P3 can facilitate integrated joint planning, recognize interdependencies among potential impacts; identify and 

resolve potential conflicts; and develop or validate planning assumptions.

 A P3 provides a consistent integration point for private, non-governmental and public sector coordination for 

sustained resilience, response and recovery activities. 

 A P3 can connect emergency management and economic development interests in a community.