What the Private Sector Gets Wrong About Disaster Recovery
The private sector wants to help after a disaster.
That’s not the problem.
Tech firms offer dashboards.
Consultants offer planning services.
Engineering firms pitch infrastructure solutions.
Banks and developers show up with ideas—and capital.
At first glance, it seems like a dream: experienced professionals offering resources, tools, and capacity just when the public sector needs it most.
But here’s what we’ve seen again and again:
Good intentions don’t always lead to good outcomes.
And without the right context, private sector actors can do more harm than good—even when they’re trying to help.
The Disconnect Is Real
Disaster recovery moves fast, but it also drags on. It’s emotional. It’s political. It’s messy. It rarely matches the clean timelines or metrics private firms are used to.
And here’s where things often break down:
Private companies assume the problem is technical, when it’s actually political or human.
They overestimate local capacity, expecting a client that can make quick, informed decisions.
They offer a solution without understanding the system it needs to plug into.
And they often talk over, not with, local officials who are already overwhelmed and under pressure.
The result? Mistrust. Misalignment. And missed opportunities to do meaningful work.
Common Mistakes the Private Sector Makes
If you’re a private sector partner—or you work with them—here are a few patterns we’ve seen that undermine the relationship:
1. Showing Up With a Sales Pitch, Not a Listening Ear
Communities don’t want a pre-baked solution. They want someone who understands what they’re dealing with. When you lead with your product, you signal that you’re not really listening.
What to do instead: Start with questions. Understand what’s already in motion. Ask what’s keeping people up at night. Then see if you can help with that.
2. Underestimating the Chaos
Most post-disaster environments are barely functioning. Staff are exhausted. Roles are unclear. Decisions are made on the fly. If you expect clean project scopes and rapid approvals, you’re in for a rude awakening.
What to do instead: Adjust your expectations. Slow down. Be flexible. Offer value without requiring the perfect conditions to deliver it.
3. Assuming the Government Side is Fully Staffed and Aligned
You might be pitching your service to the housing team while the permitting office is drowning in backlogs. Or assuming the recovery office has funding authority it doesn’t actually have.
What to do instead: Learn the structure. Ask who else needs to be involved. Don’t mistake a meeting for a mandate.
4. Focusing on the Transaction, Not the Relationship
Recovery is a long game. Local leaders remember who helped when there was no budget—and who disappeared when the first contract didn’t land.
What to do instead: Build trust over time. Offer support before expecting a sale. Be a partner, not a vendor.
What Local Leaders Get Wrong About the Private Sector
It’s not all on the private side. Local leaders sometimes:
Shut out private partners too early
Assume every firm is just here to profit
Miss opportunities to outsource technical tasks they don’t have bandwidth for
Fail to clearly communicate where help is actually needed
That creates a dynamic where no one trusts anyone, and collaboration never gets off the ground.
The solution? Clarity, structure, and a shared understanding of the stakes.
What Good Collaboration Actually Looks Like
When public and private sectors get it right, the results can be powerful.
We’ve seen firms help design rebuild centers, run needs assessments, manage grant applications, rebuild infrastructure, and support housing development at scale.
But the ones who succeed take a different approach. They:
Co-design their role with the local government—not just respond to an RFP
Plug into existing systems, rather than trying to replace them
Respect local knowledge, even when it’s messy or politically complicated
Stick around, even when it takes longer than expected to get started
Recovery isn’t a quick engagement. It’s a marathon.
And the most helpful private partners act like it.
How to Create Real Value on Both Sides
Whether you’re a government leader, nonprofit partner, or private firm, here’s how to make the relationship actually work:
For the Private Sector:
Lead with humility. You may know your product—but the community knows its people.
Be ready to educate. Many public agencies don’t know what’s possible—help them learn without selling.
Focus on implementation. Fancy tech is useless if there’s no one to run it. Design for reality.
Deliver early wins. Find something useful you can do quickly to build credibility.
For Public Sector Leaders:
Give permission. If you want help, say so. Name the areas where outside support would be welcome.
Be honest about constraints. If you’re short on staff, say it. If politics will slow things down, name it.
Create a point of entry. Even a simple intake form or liaison role can help connect firms to real needs.
Recognize value early. Don’t wait for funding to start working with firms that are ready to show up now.
Final Thought: You Can’t Recover Alone
Disaster recovery stretches every system—government, nonprofit, and community alike.
No one sector has all the tools.
Private partners aren’t the enemy.
But they need orientation, context, and guidance to be effective.
And public leaders don’t need to figure everything out themselves.
There’s real, valuable help out there—but only if you build the system to channel it.
Want to go deeper?
Explore our full training catalog for tools and lessons that help communities structure public-private collaboration in ways that actually move recovery forward.
