- Early dialogue between governments and the private sector helps turn infrastructure priorities into better-prepared projects that are more attractive to investors.
- A strong project pipeline requires long-term planning, up-to-date information, and transparency to build trust between governments and investors.
- These were among the main lessons from the LAC Transport Forum 2026, organized by IDB and the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) in Miami in late September.
Latin America and the Caribbean need to invest more in transport infrastructure to connect people with opportunities and reduce logistics costs. The region is estimated to need investment of around 1.3% of its GDP annually in this sector through 2030. Yet the challenge is not just to invest more but to invest better.
Turning infrastructure needs into concrete projects requires sound planning, technical preparation, and timely dialogue with those who can contribute expertise, technology, financing, and implementation capacity.
In other words, plan carefully to deliver quickly. A key part of meeting this challenge is strengthening the link between government investment priorities and private sector capabilities. Early dialogue helps identify opportunities, anticipate implementation challenges, and improve project preparation before procurement begins. This can turn investment decisions into better-structured projects with stronger prospects for implementation and tangible benefits for people.
With this in mind, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) organized the LAC Transport Forum 2026, held in Miami on September 29–30. Alongside the Regional Policy Dialogue, which brought public officials together to exchange perspectives, we added a day open to the private sector, during which government delegations presented projects and shared information on costs, timelines, and opportunities for participation.
Connecting Investment Opportunities
Our goal was to connect public policy priorities with concrete investments. The first day fostered candid exchanges among regional authorities on challenges and solutions. On the second day, delegations presented their priorities directly to companies and investors and heard their questions. Building that bridge between policy dialogue and projects was the central purpose of the forum.
The scale of the opportunity was significant: 18 countries presented 145 transport projects representing approximately $84.4 billion. The pipeline included 82 road and highway projects, 20 port and waterway projects, 16 urban mobility and public transport projects, 16 airport projects, nine railway projects, and two logistics and freight projects. Roads and urban mobility accounted for more than two-thirds of the total value presented.
The open session brought together nearly 200 participants, primarily representatives of consulting, engineering, and design firms and specialized service providers. Equipment and technology suppliers, construction companies, operators, concessionaires, and other organizations also attended. A total of 190 meeting slots were made available for companies and governments to address questions and explore ways to participate. Questions about project readiness, timelines, and participation requirements reflected the level of interest.
Three lessons emerged from preparing and holding the forum.
1. Early Dialogue Improves Project Preparation
A presentation can introduce a project pipeline; a conversation can explore project scope, readiness, potential procurement approaches, and next steps in greater depth. Questions from companies help governments clarify what information the market needs before a tender is launched. Companies, in turn, have more time to assess opportunities and prepare their capabilities and partnerships.
This dialogue helps anticipate challenges, strengthen technical preparation, and raise the visibility of projects that might otherwise reach the market with insufficient information.
The key is to create opportunities for stakeholders to listen to one another, exchange knowledge, and improve investment preparation while consistently upholding transparency and procurement rules.
2. A Project Pipeline Needs a Long-Term Vision and Up-to-Date Information
A project pipeline should be grounded in transport planning and reflect each country’s development priorities. National, sectoral, and regional plans help identify needs, prioritize investments, and integrate different modes of transport. This long-term vision helps avoid isolated projects and supports the development of transport networks aligned with economic, social, and territorial objectives.
To facilitate dialogue with the private sector, each project needs clear, current information on its scope, stage of preparation, responsible agency, outstanding decisions, and potential participation dates. A pipeline is not a static list of announcements: it must evolve as projects move toward financing and procurement.
As a project advances, its costs, studies, timelines, and institutional decisions may change. Sharing these updates builds trust, supports discussions based on comparable information, and helps governments and companies identify opportunities and next steps more clearly.
3. Each Project Must Connect with the Right Capabilities
Engineers, consultants, technology providers, construction companies, operators, financiers, and investors bring different capabilities at different stages of the project life cycle. A port, a railway, and an urban mobility system require different expertise, technologies, and business models. Bringing these stakeholders together with governments broadened the conversation to cover the full project life cycle.
For future gatherings, we need to identify the capabilities each initiative requires and facilitate relevant connections that can lead to better solutions and stronger prospects for implementation. A design firm may contribute during preparation, a construction company during execution, and an operator or investor at later stages. Recognizing these differences helps generate more precise questions and make better use of the time of both governments and companies. Each meeting should respond to the specific needs of the project.
Meetings matter to the extent that they contribute to better projects and tangible benefits for people. The enthusiasm generated in Miami is a starting point. Turning it into results will require continuity, coordination with the responsible institutions, and sustained project follow-up. These lessons will also help improve future gatherings and focus efforts where early dialogue can create better investment opportunities.
IDB Support for the Preparation and Implementation of Transport Projects
The IDB will continue supporting countries through technical expertise, financing instruments, and connections among governments, companies, and investors. In this context, we launched Transport Delivers at the forum, an initiative designed to strengthen transport project preparation and implementation, promote innovation and private sector participation, and improve investment efficiency throughout the project life cycle.
The challenge now is to turn the opportunities identified into concrete investments that improve connectivity, strengthen competitiveness, and expand opportunities for people across Latin America and the Caribbean. Ultimately, the true impact of dialogue will be measured by the results we achieve together.