ABSTRACT
Downtown business centers have changed to compete with shopping centers and key to this has been the ability of using the public–private partnerships (PPPs) of BIDs. Key to managing these PPPs is effective performance management that evaluates the partnership. The purpose of measurement is to observe objectively if the promises we have made are in fact being fulfilled. A well thought out measurement effort has the ability to demonstrate the effectiveness of the management program and build trust. Based on the work of the Rutgers University Business District Executive Management Certification Program (BDEMCP), to obtain a complete and meaningful understanding of PPP success, the partnership as a whole, not only parts and projects, must be evaluated in an integrated manner. This program describes the nature of PPPs, examines BIDs as PPPs, the profession of business district management, and concludes with an integral balanced measurement approach for practitioners of PPPs—an Integrated Balanced Scoring Approach. Each sector is evaluated, the partnership organization, and the integration of the whole. Public aspects of the partnership are assessed as quality of life (QOL). Private aspects of the partnership are assessed as a return on investment (ROI). And, the management aspects of the partnership are also assessed as organization and management capacity (OMC). A combined final score provides an assessment of the partnership’s success (Grossman, 2012).
