---
id: "coronavirus-smarter-crowdsourcing:recommendations/establish-public-private-partnerships"
type: "GovLab policy recommendation"
title: "Establish Public-Private Partnerships"
url: "https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/establish-public-private-partnerships"
summary: "Establish Public-Private Partnerships that support vulnerable populations by filling service delivery gaps that community-based organizations, governments, and NGOs struggle to execute efficiently working on their own, while also benefiting the private institutions by providing them with financing and other resources."
source: "The GovLab (coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org)"
licence: "Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)"
---

# Establish Public-Private Partnerships

Establish Public-Private Partnerships that support vulnerable populations by filling service delivery gaps that community-based organizations, governments, and NGOs struggle to execute efficiently working on their own, while also benefiting the private institutions by providing them with financing and other resources.

- Part of: [Smarter Crowdsourcing in the Age of Coronavirus](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/), [all recommendations](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations)

## Strategy 1

Establish and coordinate a committee of stakeholders whose businesses,non-profits,and foundations directly serve or impact vulnerable populations to identify and address the needs of vulnerable populations.

- Timeframe: 3-6 Months (medium)
- Audience: Private Sector, Academia, Civil Society, Vulnerable Populations, Healthcare Providers, Organized Civil Society, Nonprofits
- Type: Partnerships, Vulnerable Populations
- Strategy page: https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/strategies/establish-and-coordinate-a-committee-of-stakeholde

### Actions governments should take (strategy 1)

1. Form either sectoral or multi-sectoral commissions with diverse representations of experts as well as representatives from the communities themselves.
2. Task the committee to conduct a needs assessments and define the specific vulnerable groups needing support.
3. Appoint high-level government representatives to participate in and/or lead the commission/task force.
4. Identify specific opportunities to address immediate issues facing identified vulnerable populations.
5. Identify specific opportunities to make long-term improvements to endemic issues facing specific vulnerable populations.
6. Create formal and informal forums to connect different segments of government workers and public organizations who are working to protect the vulnerable.

### Examples from around the world (strategy 1)

1. The [Private Sector Task Force (PSTF)](https://www.who.int/workforcealliance/knowledge/resources/privatesectorhrh_report/en/) was formed by the World Health Organization and the Global Health Workforce Alliance with the goal of understanding how the private sector can better support and lead in healthcare human resource shortages (e.g. clinicians, and public health professionals) across the globe. The Task Force identified actionable insights and put forth concrete recommendations in a [report](https://www.who.int/workforcealliance/knowledge/resources/privatesectorhrh_report/en/) that established a path towards increasing private-sector contributions to this specific public health and healthcare issue.

## Strategy 2

Develop partnerships and engage in strategic contracts with companies who have comparative advantages or corners on specific markets like housing,transportation,diagnostic testing,and/or technology services.

- Timeframe: 3-6 Months (medium)
- Audience: Private Sector, Vulnerable Populations
- Type: Partnerships, Vulnerable Populations, Procurement/Logistics
- Strategy page: https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/strategies/develop-partnerships-and-engage-in-strategic-contr

### Actions governments should take (strategy 2)

1. dentify key gaps in government capacity to support vulnerable populations that can be supported with private sector partnerships.
2. Conduct outreach to firms providing goods and services that fill identified gaps.
3. Coordinate with government legal advisors and procurement teams to understand the protocols and guidelines governing public-private partnerships.
4. Develop long-term retainer contracts to ensure consistent pricing consistently.
5. Ensure partnerships specifically address the needs of identified vulnerable populations and hold the contracts accountable to agreed upon measures of success.

### Examples from around the world (strategy 2)

1. [Many state governments in Brazil have partnered with software developing company InLoco to monitor the rates of social distancing. Before the first case was confirmed in Brazil, InLoco started using mobile carrier data to track what percentage of the population is staying at home during the day, creating a social distancing index. Governments have partnered with InLoco to create solutions with this data and to analyze data at a finer spatial granularity than publicly available.](https://mapabrasileirodacovid.inloco.com.br/pt/)

## Strategy 3

Create a public commission,specifically including intended beneficiaries of the services,tasked with holding public-private partnership contracts accountable for delivering services/results through a cost effective,timely,and transparent process.

- Timeframe: 1-3 Months (immediate)
- Audience: Civil Society, Vulnerable Populations, Organized Civil Society, Nonprofits
- Type: Partnerships, Capacity Building, Vulnerable Populations
- Strategy page: https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/strategies/create-a-public-commission,specifically-including-

### Actions governments should take (strategy 3)

1. Establish a public oversight commission to oversee all public-private partnerships supporting vulnerable populations.
2. Ensure that vulnerable populations who are the target beneficiaries are key members of the oversight commission.
3. Create a public commission website so that the public can see progress with the partnership.
4. Publish all contracts, costs and results.

### Examples from around the world (strategy 3)

1. In Malawi, the national government developed the [Public Private Partnership Commission](http://www.pppc.mw/) in 2011 which is tasked with oversight and management of all Public Private Partnerships in the country. The commission has a website that publishes a variety of information publicly, including details of all projects, information about commission members, and a full list of [PPP ongoing projects](http://www.pppc.mw/projects).

## Strategy 4

Partner with private sector firms to help them meet their human resource needs by developing and implementing retraining and reskillIng programs that help vulnerable groups adapt to the new- normal post- COVID- 19.

- Timeframe: 6-12 Months (long)
- Audience: Private Sector, Vulnerable Populations
- Type: Partnerships, Capacity Building, Vulnerable Populations, Procurement/Logistics
- Strategy page: https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/strategies/partner-with-private-sector-firms-to-help-them-mee

### Actions governments should take (strategy 4)

1. Conduct a rapid study identifying the hardest hit sectors, including the informal economy, and also the sectors that have seen the most growth (home delivery, etc.).
2. Engage private sector firms who have experienced large growth in their businesses and are in need of more employees.
3. Create a digital job marketplace where employers can post jobs for essential workers, the unemployed, or specific vulnerable populations.
4. Develop a training program that can be scaled and implemented to civil society organizations that focuses on how informal workers can adapt their services models to the pandemic.
5. Invest in programs that capitalize on inexpensive, proven, and widespread technologies (like smart phones) that can be used to support work opportunities such as package and goods delivery, digital payments, or other relevant goods and services.
6. Offer free online courses that teach new skills such as effective use of computer and cellphone technologies.

### Examples from around the world (strategy 4)

1. [In Indonesia, informal workers have moved to a more digitized way of doing business with more and more SMEs registering for online marketplaces. The government also teamed up with digital companies to re-skill employees and boost their competitiveness.](https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/03/20/its-official-government-digital-companies-team-up-to-launch-preemployment-card.html)