The First Round of Expanded BIL Funding Lands with a Boom
USDOT's first BIL-supercharged RAISE round put more than $2.2B into a record 166 projects — pushing success rates to nearly 18% and rewarding equity and workforce commitments. Two standout public-private partnerships show how flexible the program can be.
USDOT’s 2022 RAISE round — the first supercharged by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) — announced more than $2.2 billion in awards. Rather than write bigger checks to fewer recipients, USDOT spread the money across a record number of projects: 166 awards, over 2.5x the historical annual average. That pushed the application success rate to nearly 18%, well above the long-run norm, and the round leaned hard into social-equity and workforce criteria. For our practice, the headline is that public-private partnerships (P3s) continue to fare well under this program — and there are only a handful of expanded-funding rounds left to take advantage of.
Key takeaways
- A record field of awards. Over $2.2B was announced across 166 projects — more than 2.5x the ~64-project average of the prior 13 years under predecessor programs (BUILD and TIGER).
- Success rates jumped. The application success rate rose from an average of ~7.3% over the prior 13 years to 17.75% in 2022, a direct result of funding more projects.
- Equity criteria mattered. Per USDOT, nearly 66% of projects were located in areas of persistent poverty or historically-disadvantaged communities.
- Workforce commitments were rewarded. Of the awarded projects, 11 included a local-hire provision, 4 had project labor agreements, 8 had registered apprenticeship programs, and an additional 8 had other workforce-development provisions.
- P3s are alive and well under expanded BIL funding — and only a limited number of expanded rounds remain.
What USDOT rewarded
USDOT’s 2022 RAISE announcement had a lot going on. The round was massively boosted by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: clocking in at over $2.2B in total announced awards, USDOT chose to select more projects rather than boost funding for fewer awardees (some of that by legislative mandate). The data is compelling — in the prior 13 years under predecessor programs like BUILD and TIGER, the average number of awards per round had been ~64 projects; this round they awarded 166, over 2.5x the prior annual average. That also skewed the success rate upward, from an average of 7.3% over the prior 13 years to 17.75% in 2022.
USDOT really leaned into its “social criteria” (racial equity, persistent poverty, and disadvantaged communities) and worked hard to spread the wealth. Per USDOT, “nearly 66% of projects are located in areas of persistent poverty or historically-disadvantaged communities.” Along with that, they prioritized and rewarded projects with strong community involvement and workforce-related commitments (apprenticeships, training, and other workforce development). Of the awarded projects, 11 included a local-hire provision, 4 had project labor agreements, 8 had registered apprenticeship programs, and an additional 8 had “other workforce development” provisions.
Two public-private partnerships worth a look
Public-private partnerships (P3) — the heart of our practice — continued to benefit through this conduit program. Two examples, among many, are worth calling out for different reasons.
Victory Logistics — interesting for its representative nature. If you’re looking for a spot-on example of a P3 that almost perfectly fits a government finance program like RAISE, this is it. The private party — a well-heeled real estate development firm (Mark IV Capital) — together with the City of Fernley, NV, sought and received a $25M award to build out roads, bridges, and related infrastructure for an industrial park that may ultimately employ as many as 10,000 people. This is the posterchild for public-private partnerships and everything they can deliver.
Berlin, NH — interesting because it shows that almost any P3 project can be funded under almost any program with a little squinty-eyed, hand-waving creativity. A renewable power facility that employs almost the entire town but can’t keep its lights on? There’s a federal program with an expanded budget for surface-transportation projects that can help. With an award of ~$20M, the City will be the beneficiary of a waste-steam offtake system from the nearby biomass power plant to melt snow and ice from city streets and sidewalks. It’s an extraordinary stretch for a grant generally aimed at road projects, but the City and plant owners leaned hard into the “significant local impact” argument (jobs!) to get it done. Kudos, Berlin.
What it means for you
- There are now only four more rounds under the expanded BIL funding; after that, it’s back to smaller and fewer awards — so get moving.
- P3s are alive and well under the expanded BIL funding for federal programs. If you don’t get the money, your competitors will.
- More engagement — better yet, involvement — with the local community about your plans is critical. If you aren’t doing this, our communications team can help.
- Don’t skimp on the details when making your application. Reviewers are looking for reasons to keep you in the chase; give them a hand.
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This is policy and market intelligence, not legal advice. Thinking about a federal grant? Talk to us about your project →