§ 2–272.01. Establishment of the Office of Public-Private Partnerships.

(a) There is established in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development an Office of Public-Private Partnerships.

(b) The Office shall:

(1) Be the primary public entity responsible for facilitating the development, solicitation, evaluation, award, delivery, and oversight of public-private partnerships that involve a public entity in the District; and

(2) Consult and coordinate with all public entities that possess relevant knowledge, skills, and expertise in developing requests for proposals, evaluating responses, and negotiating and administering public-private partnership agreements under this chapter.

(c) The Office may retain consultants or enter into contracts to provide financial, legal, or other technical expertise necessary to assist in the development, solicitation, evaluation, award, delivery, and oversight of public-private partnership projects.

(d) The Office shall not have the power to pledge the full faith and credit of the District government, nor shall any obligation issued by the Office or any entity sponsored by the Office in connection with any public-private partnership agreement be a general obligation of the District government unless authorized by an act of the Council.

(e)(1) The Office may delegate to the Office of Contracting and Procurement ("OCP"), at the discretion of OCP, the authority to serve as the contracting officer for the Office for public-private partnership agreements entered into pursuant to this chapter and to carry out other contracting functions related to public-private partnerships on behalf of the Office.

(2) Any OCP employee exercising authority delegated pursuant to this subsection shall comply with the provisions of this chapter and any rules and regulations promulgated to effectuate this chapter.