Michael J. Garvin

Professor, VIRGINIA TECH

Dr. Michael J. Garvin is a Professor in the Via Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Coordinator of the Vecellio Construction Engineering & Management Program at Virginia Tech. He has over thirty years of experience as a professor of civil engineering, consultant, practicing civil engineer, and Army officer. His thought leadership about the efficacy and implementation of project delivery methods and P3s was first recognized by the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2004. Since then he has continued to advance knowledge and practice in this area through: leadership or participation in research projects for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT); authorship of over 100 technical papers or reports including a best journal paper award; service in advisory roles for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), the Association for the Improvement of American Infrastructure (AIAI) and the Eno Center for Transportation; consulting assignments for public and private agencies such as the Volpe Transportation Center and ICF International; and multiple speaking engagements such as annual meetings of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and the American Road & Transportation Builder’s Association (ARTBA).

Relevant Project Experience

• Support for Evaluation of Alternative Contracting Methods (ACM) Toolset, Federal Highway Administration, 2020-2021. Program Manager. Dr. Garvin supported ICF team that enhanced and modified the ACM Toolset to become the Contracting Alternatives Suitability Evaluator (CASE) for selection of contracting methods. Dr. Garvin provided subject matter expertise and was co-lead with Dr. Cui in developing and delivering training workshops for CASE.
• Tools and Technical Assistance for Evaluation of Alternative Contracting Methods, Federal Highway Administration, 2018-2019. Co-Principal Investigator. Lead for Virginia Tech team that supported ARA in the development of a comprehensive toolset to evaluate alternative contracting methods (ACMs). Dr. Garvin led the effort to document the state of practice, conduct case studies of US DOT and international agencies, and develop a tool to determine whether a project is a candidate for a P3.
• Case Studies of Distressed and Bankrupt P3 Projects. Virginia Department of Transportation, 2016. Principal Investigator. Dr. Garvin led the development of case studies of P3 transportation projects that have experienced bankruptcy or financial distress: (1) South Bay Expressway, (2) the Indiana Toll Road, (3) SH-130 and (4) Capital Beltway Express to explain the causes and outcomes.
• Toward an Integrated, Lifecycle Governance Framework for Delivering Civil Infrastructure Systems, National Science Foundation, 2013-16. Principal Investigator. A joint research project with Stanford University; as PI of the Virginia Tech team examined risk allocation and sharing practices across 22 P3 project contracts in the US, developed mechanisms for addressing contractual contingencies, and mapped and modeled the dynamic interactions between the technical, financial and social dimensions of P3 projects.
• Guidebook on Financing of Highway Public-Private Partnerships, Federal Highway Administration, 2014–2015. Expert Advisor. Supported Claret Consulting in the drafting and review of technical content, including case examples for the guidebook.
• Improving Stakeholder Awareness of Issues and Tradeoffs of Tolling and Alternative Payment Mechanisms in Virginia’s PPTA Program and Projects. Virginia Department of Transportation. 2014-2015. Principal Investigator for analysis of key issues and tradeoffs associated with: (1) tolls as a programmatic revenue source and (2) tolls and availability payments as payment mechanisms in P3 projects. Developed a series of “information briefs” for the general public and an “executive brief” for legislators and other state officials.

Relevant Publications

11+ peer-reviewed articles and 3 technical reports