To address the condition and quality of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) military housing, Congress enacted the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) in 1996. This legislation authorized the DoD to partner with private developers to finance, construct, renovate, and operate military family housing. Over time, this authority expanded to include unaccompanied housing, broadening the scope of public-private partnerships across Navy and Marine Corps installations.

Since 2023, Emax has supported the Department of the Navy in enhancing oversight and long-term management of its Public-Private Venture (PPV) housing portfolio, including Marine Corps family housing, Navy family housing, and Navy unaccompanied housing. Our work focuses on strengthening governance, data transparency, improving negotiation outcomes, and ensuring housing providers deliver safe and quality living environments for service members and their families.

Challenge

The Navy faced significant operational and, financial challenges in managing a large, geographically dispersed PPV housing portfolio. Key difficulties included:

• Fragmented oversight across regions, installations, and housing partners, with inconsistent standards and evaluation processes between familiy and unaccompanied housing.

• Limited visibility into real-time property conditions, maintenance performance, resident experiences, and reinvestment needs.

• Increased demand for accountability from Congress and tenant advocates

• Rising construction costs, labor shortages, financing constraints, and supply chain disruptions affecting reinvestment planning and long-term portfolio performance

To manage risks and support these complex negotiations, the Navy required enhanced technical, financial, and negotiation capabilities, backed by a data-driven oversight framework. This framework needed to reinforce the day-to-day governance and enable a more informed, strategic decision-making process with private partners.

Approach

Emax improved Navy oversight, negotiation, and PPV portfolio performance by: Assessing governance and clarifying roles across regions and headquarters

• Developing tools to consistently measure performance and consolidate data

• Providing negotiation expertise for lease adjustments, reinvestment, and financial needs

• Conducting portfolio-wide risk and financial assessment to guide priorities

• Assisting with expansion of PPV housing to include unaccompanied service members

Emax’s support has strengthened the Navy’s ability to manage and oversee its PPV housing portfolio. Key outcomes include:

• Formalized governance and oversight, enabling consistent and transparent management across regions

• Enhanced financial and operational visibility through standardized performance metrics

• Improved negotiation capabilities supported by structured strategies and financial analysis

• Strategic portfolio insights enabling leadership to prioritize investments, policies, and future PPV initiatives

Impact

Emax’s support has strengthened the Navy’s ability to manage and oversee its PPV housing portfolio. Key outcomes include:

• Formalized governance and oversight, enabling consistent and transparent management across regions

• Enhanced financial and operational visibility through standardized performance metrics

• Improved negotiation capabilities supported by structured strategies and financial analysis

• Strategic portfolio insights enabling leadership to prioritize investments, policies, and future PPV initiatives

With Emax’s support, the Navy benefits from stronger governance, improved data transparency, and negotiation capabilities. These improvements provide a solid foundation for sustainable growth and higher quality housing across the PPV portfolio. Throughout this process, Emax ensured the Navy’s approach remained mission-aligned, balancing strategic priorities with the ongoing needs of service members and their families.