本文涵盖四个主要主题:运营和维护（“O&M”）市场的现状；私营部门在根据合同向公共机构提供运维服务方面的主要优势；使公共机构与私营部门更具竞争力的方法；关于公共部门和私营机构之间平等关系的讨论。在回顾水利设施私人运营的主题时，作者主要关注根据与公共机构签订的合同提供运维服务的私营公司，而不是投资者的运维实践- 拥有自己的供水系统。运营与维护举措的例子来自水行业和废水行业，因为从中可以吸取重要的经验教训。

This paper covers four principal topics: the current status of the operation and maintenance ("O&M") market; key strengths of the private sector in providing O&M services under contract to public agencies; methods for public agencies to become more competitive with the private sector; and a discussion regarding the equalities between public agencies and the private sector. In reviewing the subject of private operation of water facilities, the author focuses primarily on private firms which provide O&M services under contract with public agencies as opposed to the O&M practices of investor-owned water systems. Examples of O&M initiatives are drawn from both the water industry as well as the wastewater industry because of the important lessons to be learned from each.