Lots of federal funding flowing to Texas…opportunities being announced daily!
by Mary Scott Nabers
CEO of Strategic Partnerships, Inc.
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In addition to millions of dollars worth of contracting opportunities at these colleges and research centers, more than $60 million in federal Preparedness Grants is headed to Texas as announced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Some of the funds will be used for security projects related to ports, buses, transit, infrastructure and rail. Other funding will help communities build or renovate emergency operations centers or improve interoperability communications among emergency entities. All of the funds are intended to ensure that Texas is prepared to prevent and react to acts of terrorism, major disasters and other emergencies.
Some of the funding, which will be distributed on a rolling basis over the summer, will open up contracting opportunities for facility security, training and exercises for emergency personnel, design of security plans and even the improvement of security of driver’s license and identification cards.
Among the awards in Texas are:
- Dallas Area Rapid Transit - $913,000 to protect critical transit infrastructure from terrorism;
- Harris County - $28.9 million in port security funding for the Houston-Galveston area to protect ports, conduct training and exercises and implement worker ID credentialing - other port security funding includes $1.7 million for Port Freeport;
- State of Texas - $3.8 million to improve interoperability throughout the state;
- Emergency Operations Center grants to construct or upgrade local centers – Brazoria County Emergency Management, $100,000; City of Boerne, $250,000; Johnson County, $750,000; Middle Rio Grande Development Council, $1 million; and Nueces County, $72,000; and
- State of Texas - $6.9 million to increase security of infrastructure sites and assets.
Military spending in the state this summer will also have a marked impact on local businesses interested in contracting with the government. Groundbreaking was held just last week in San Antonio for the U.S. Air Force’s new cyber warfare intelligence center at Lackland Air Force Base. The 38,000-square-foot building is expected to be completed next year. The Air Force will bid out a large portion of the work necessary to support operation of the center.
Another military installation in Texas, Fort Bliss in El Paso, is undergoing a $6 billion expansion as a result of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) actions and an influx of thousands more members of the military and their families. Five brigade complexes have already been built that include living, eating and working areas. A PX has been added, along with a dental clinic, a USO center, gyms and a child-care facility. Numerous other projects are still on the drawing board, including a new hospital. There will be energy efficiency projects, such as installation of solar arrays on rooftops, so facilities can generate their own electricity.
It looks to be a busy summer in Texas, with lots of opportunities opening up throughout the state. Vendors entering the marketplace for the first time and others ready to expand their current footprint will find an abundance of opportunities.
