Diana C. Mendez

Partner

305-350-2394

dmendez@bilzin.com

Hablo Español

Area of Focus: Public-Private Partnerships, Government Contracting

GET TO KNOW DIANA

As a member of Bilzin Sumberg's Public-Private Partnerships (P3) & Government Contracting team, Diana C. Mendez counsels real estate developers, infrastructure companies, public utilities, transportation companies, design and engineering firms, and diverse concessionaires on matters involving public administrative, procurement, and transactional law. She advises clients through all phases of the government procurement process, including teaming arrangements, proposal preparation, responsiveness and responsibility review, minority and disadvantaged business enterprise certifications, contract negotiations, administrative bid protests, and bid protest litigation.

Diana’s experience covers some of South Florida’s most complex developments and public-private transactions, including major infrastructure projects, public utilities, mass transit systems and transportation-related assets, and transit-oriented development. She also represents government contractors (in addition to real estate companies) in bid protest matters.

Q & A

Where do you see the biggest opportunities for government contracting in South Florida?

Certainly, both investment in transportation infrastructure and P3-based transit-oriented developments are going to soar in the years ahead. The urban corridor connecting Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties is growing rapidly demographically and economically. Like many other major metropolitan areas, this corner of Florida will turn to mass transit and greater transit-oriented development to meet the demands of this growth. Whether it’s constructing new rail lines, expanding ports and airports, or developing the residential and commercial nodes that complement them, the industry players pursuing the related procurement opportunities will need a sophisticated understanding of the local business, legal, and political issues involved to achieve success.

What most excites you about working on P3 projects?

Public-private partnerships are typically complex transactions that have many moving parts to manage and navigate, but because of that complexity, they lend themselves to collaborative approaches at all levels to bring the project to fruition. These transactions require collaboration between the private and public sectors to provide a public good, between numerous stakeholders who reap the long-term benefits of the transaction, and between the multidisciplinary teams that make the project a reality. I find the coordination of the various policy, legal and political issues inherent in every P3 project exciting, but their challenging nature also means that experienced counsel is critical to navigating the nuances of each one.

EXPERIENCE

INSIGHTS

CREDENTIALS

Education

American University, J.D., cum laude, 2010

American University, M.A., International Relations, 2010

Florida International University, B.A., magna cum laude, 2006
Involvement

Florida Association for Women Lawyers
Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, President, 2022-2023

American Bar Association
Public Contracts Law Section
State and Local Procurement Committee, Co-Chair, 2023 - present
Public Procurement Symposium, Co-Chair, 2023
Steering Committee for the Revision of the Model Procurement Code, Member, 2024 - present

The Florida Bar
Administrative Law Section

Miami-Dade County
Commission for Women, Former Board Member

New Leaders Council
Miami Chapter, Fellow, 2017

PACE Center for Girls
Board of Directors, Member, 2023 - present

The Florida Bar
City, County and Local Government Law Section, 2016 - present

Young Professionals in Infrastructure
Board Member, 2023
Bar Admissions

District of Columbia

Florida

Awards/Honors

Florida Super Lawyers, Florida Rising Stars, Government Contracts, 2018 - present
Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL), Leaders in the Law, 2019 - 2020
Languages

Spanish

PRACTICES