Q&A: The Infrastructure as a Service approach to public private partnerships

In a December 2025 press release, Sustainability Partners showcased a new model of infrastruture delivery: Infrastructure as a Service. As-a-Service models have seen growth trends with services like Netflix, HelloFresh and other subscription services in consumer-oriented business sectors. These models are now finding purchase in business-to-business sectors with SCADA and software package services, and has even extended to Metering-as-a-Service in the case of Kamstrup. 

Sustainability Partners has developed and broadened this model to Infrastruture as a Service through the lens of a Florida community called Sun 'N Lake. Wastewater Digest VP of Content Strategy Bob Crossen sought answers to how this came about and how it worked from Sustainability Partners Director of Infrastructure Specialists Jake Beebe.

Understanding Sun 'N Lake's wastewater needs

Bob Crossen: What drove the decision to build a new wastewater treatment plant in Sun ‘N Lake? What challenges were you aiming to solve?

Jake Beebe: Sun ‘N Lake’s existing wastewater treatment plant has provided nearly 50 years of service and has reached the end of its useful life, making replacement the responsible long-term path forward. 

The district faced a fundamental choice: continue investing in an aging system that limited growth and required constant fixes, or invest in modern, quality-engineered infrastructure designed to support long-term reliability and future needs. The new plant represents a proactive investment in infrastructure that can accommodate growth while improving efficiency and performance.

This project aims to reduce unplanned repairs, improve cost predictability, and position the district to meet current and future service demands with modern treatment capabilities that better support the community and the environment. 

BC: How will this project improve service reliability and environmental compliance for the community?

JB: A quality-engineered facility built with the latest technology will treat wastewater more efficiently and produce cleaner water, helping to protect local waterways and groundwater. 

In addition, improved reliability helps the district shift staff time and resources away from frequent emergency fixes and toward broader system improvements for residents and businesses.

Breaking down the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) model

BC: Municipal budgets are often tight — how does this partnership model differ from traditional funding approaches?

JB: The Infrastructure as a Service model is structured so the public entity can advance a project from planning and design through construction and delivery without a large upfront capital outlay. This model facilitates the entire project end-to-end, and payments begin 30 days after the project is delivered, converting the infrastructure into a predictable monthly usage fee once it is in service. That structure removes budget uncertainty and reduces the financial strain and risk of funding a major project all at once.

It’s important to note that the Infrastructure as a Service model is not tied to a single funding source. A project can be supported through a combination of funding sources such as Sustainability Partners’ facilitating access to capital, federal or state grants, and district funding. For Sun ‘N Lake, Phase 1 construction and design is being funded by the district.

BC: What advantages does a “pay-for-performance” or infrastructure-as-a-service model offer utilities compared to bonds or rate increases?

JB: The Infrastructure as a Service model ties what a utility pays to the infrastructure that is delivered and performing, using a predictable monthly usage fee rather than a large upfront capital commitment. This can reduce reliance on debt issuance or sharp rate increases, preserve borrowing capacity for other priorities and improve long-range planning. Just as importantly, it helps shift spending away from reactive, emergency repairs toward a stable cost structure tied to reliable service outcomes.

BC: How does this approach help utilities manage long-term capital planning and avoid deferred maintenance issues?

JB: When infrastructure is delivered alongside an ongoing care and performance framework, the utility can plan for lifecycle needs instead of postponing maintenance until failures occur. The Infrastructure as a Service model is intended to foster safety, reliability and ongoing improvement, which is the opposite of deferring upkeep to balance a short-term budget.

Practically, this can free staff time and financial capacity to address other priorities across the system.

The technologies and equipment making a difference for Sun 'N Lake

BC: What new technologies or processes will this plant incorporate to improve treatment efficiency and meet stricter discharge standards?

JB: While specific treatment technologies will be finalized as design progresses, the new Sun ‘N Lake wastewater treatment plant will be engineered and constructed to meet or exceed applicable American Water Works Association (AWWA) and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) standards and regulatory requirements. 

By designing to modern industry standards rather than minimum code requirements, the new facility is expected to deliver improved treatment performance, longer equipment life and greater operational efficiency. Higher-quality, energy-efficient equipment reduces the likelihood of premature failures and unplanned repairs, helping lower long-term costs while positioning the district to meet evolving discharge standards with confidence.

BC: How will automation and digital monitoring be integrated into operations to support staff and optimize performance?

JB: Specific automation and monitoring systems will be determined later in the design process, but the project is expected to incorporate technology that reduces manual processes and supports proactive system oversight. This includes remote monitoring capabilities and automated performance tracking for key equipment such as pumps and treatment components.

These tools are intended to help staff identify maintenance needs earlier, plan equipment replacements more effectively and reduce reliance on reactive or emergency repairs. Over time, this approach supports more predictable budgeting, improves reliability and allows personnel to focus on system optimization rather than constant troubleshooting.

BC: What sustainability benchmarks or goals are being targeted—such as energy efficiency, water reuse, or carbon footprint reduction?

JB: A core sustainability outcome for Sun ‘N Lake is expanding access to utilities district-wide and enabling use of reclaimed water from the facility, reducing reliance on private wells and septic tanks that can impact aquifers, soils, and waterways over time. 

The new plant is also expected to produce cleaner water and protect local waterways and groundwater.

As design advances, the project team expects improved energy efficiency as a practical outcome of replacing a nearly 50-year-old facility with a modern, quality-engineered plant, alongside continued focus on treatment performance and compliance.

Main takeaways from the Sun 'N Lake wastewater project

BC: What lessons can other municipal utilities learn from this partnership model?

JB: One lesson is to treat aging infrastructure as a lifecycle challenge, not just a one-time capital project. Pairing delivery with a long-term maintenance and care strategy can reduce the deferred-then-urgent spending pattern of emergency repairs and maintenance. 

Another is the value of thorough upfront diligence, including surveys, environmental assessments, mapping, and conceptual design work that helps reduce surprises, delays, and unexpected costs later.

BC: Do you see this type of public-private collaboration becoming more common in the wastewater sector? Why or why not?

JB: Yes, because many utilities are facing the same combination of aging assets, deferred maintenance and constrained budgets and staffing. Models that improve cost predictability, accelerate delivery and emphasize long-term performance are a natural fit for that reality. 

As more projects demonstrate reliable outcomes, more states, municipalities, schools, hospitals and utilities are likely to consider these partnerships as a proven option alongside traditional financing.