Volume
1, Issue 43
|
February
24, 2010 | |
Interested in selling
to a city manager? Here's what you
should know!
 SPI procurement
consultants often have discussions with public
sector decision-makers about contracting issues,
concerns and preferences. Recently, two
questions were under discussion with sitting city
managers:
- What do city managers wish
government contractors understood better,
and
- What would city managers like
for contractors to know about cost-cutting
proposals?
We found the answers particularly
interesting and extremely
timely.
| |
| Strategic Partnerships, Inc. provides
opportunity identification for all 50 states. Click here for more
information.
| | |
| Some spending of
stimulus funds slowed by
bureaucracy |
More than $5 billion of Recovery Act money
available for 2010
Required clearance
from state historic preservation agencies for some
projects and compliance with wage laws and "Buy
American" rules for others have all been
contributors to delay of numerous Recovery Act
projects nationwide.
As of Feb. 12,
only $278 billion - approximately 35 percent - of
the Recovery Act's total funding of $787 billion
had been paid out. And only $76.9 billion of the
act's $275 billion set aside for contracts, grants
and loans - approximately 30 percent - had been
paid out. The good news is there is $509 billion
in stimulus funds still in the pipeline for a
variety of projects. The bad news is that many of
the projects for which funding has been made
available have either not been started or have
been slowed by bureaucratic red tape. While some
of the dollars have been "obligated" for certain
projects, those dollars have not reached the end
user.
One major program showing
dismal results so far is the Recovery Act's
weatherization program. A recent report by the
inspector general of the U.S. Department of Energy
showed that the program has gotten off to a very
slow start. Some $5 billion was set aside for
weatherproofing homes of low-income residents over
a three-year period. Many states and local
entities, trying to fill budget gaps, had already
purged some employees from the divisions that
would handle the weatherization program. And with
the $5 billion to spend, up a remarkable amount
over the previous fiscal year's $450 million, some
recipients were finding it hard to deal with that
much money with its current staff.
Additionally, contractors who chose
to take on these projects were required to pay
prevailing wages and that issue was not resolved
until last October. The result is that only about
8 percent of the money for weatherization projects
had been paid out through mid-February and only a
little over 9,000 homes of the 593,000 funded had
been weatherized. While dismal numbers of projects
were being reported throughout the country, the
numbers are currently increasing, according to
representatives of the states.
Additionally, some transportation
projects that involved rail stations, bridges and
other infrastructure spent valuable time dealing
with historic preservation agencies to ensure
historical clearance. Buy American rules also
delayed some projects as recipients in many cases
found providers with products they needed but that
were not made in the United States. While spending
was slow in 2009, that translates into more money
making its way to the states and more projects
nationwide in 2010.
|
| Broadband stimulus
dollars to connect higher
education |
Five states to expand education
opportunities with ARRA fundsOnline education will get a big boost in
the five states that were collectively awarded
more than $300 million in broadband funding from
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
While other states also received broadband
funding, five of them earned awards geared
specifically for higher education.
Florida's North
Florida Broadband Authority was awarded a $30.1
million grant and a $9.2 million matching amount
to provide high-speed Internet access to 14
underserved counties. The broadband network will
link 300 colleges, libraries and government
agencies.
Twenty-one Ivy Tech Community
College campuses in Indiana will
be connected to the state's high-speed network. A
$25.1 million grant will be added to $10.7 million
in matching funds for a fiber-optic network of
more than 600 miles. It will reach both the Ivy
tech campuses and more than three dozen other
colleges.
A coalition of colleges and
research institutions, the Keystone Initiative for
Network Based Education and Research, was awarded
a $99.6 million grant to add fiber-optic cable to
39 counties. Another $28.8 million give to the
State of Pennsylvania will expand
Internet access in 32 northern counties.
The State of West Virginia
was awarded a $126.3 million grant and will couple
that with $33.5 million in matching funds to
connect more than 1,000 public institutions,
including colleges. The Future Generations
Graduate School will use a $4.5 million grant with
$1.2 million matching dollars to support community
outreach in low-income and rural
communities.
Libraries, schools and eight community
colleges in Wisconsin will use
$5.7 million in matching funds and $22.9 million
in grant funds to connect them to the state
high-speed network with more than 200 miles of new
fiber-optic
connections. |
Education projects
include building, security,
technology
|
Michigan voters to face $73 million
school bond vote
A $73
million bond issue will be put before Holland,
Michigan, voters in May for building improvements
and equipment purchases. A $60.8 million
proposal would upgrade and equip the district's
school buildings and another proposal, valued at
more than $12.3 million, would pay for renovations
at Van Raalte Tech School and the Holland New Tech
Academy, while providing new heating and cooling
systems at each of the kindergarten through
seventh grade buildings.
Enid, Oklahoma, voters
approved bond issue
Voters in the Enid, Oklahoma, school
district recently approved a two-part bond issue
valued at nearly $100 million. The first
proposition was for $800,000 for transportation
needs. The second proposition includes
improvements to virtually every school in the
district, including ceiling tile replacement,
parking, roofing, electrical upgrades, flooring,
science lab improvements, heating and air
conditioning projects and more. It also includes
addition of new elementary schools on both the
east and west sides of Enid, a 10-classroom wing
addition to replace portables at one school, a new
cafeteria at an elementary school, a connecting
hall for an elementary school, technology for all
schools, instruments for music education and new
buses.
Blinn College
takes steps to build new dorm
Blinn College in Brenham, Texas, is looking
to build a 350-bed dorm, if enough room for an
accompanying parking lot can be found on campus.
The dorm is one of three projects being considered
by the college. Others are a band hall expansion
and a new agriculture building. Officials are
hopeful parking space can be found adjacent to or
near the dorm site. The dorm is expected to cost
approximately $10 million, while the ag building
will carry a $3 million price tag and the band
hall expansion would cost about $1.5 million. All
would be paid for with revenue bonds. An
additional $5.5 million would be raised with the
bond issuance, totaling $20 million in bonds, with
most of the money to be spent on the college's
Bryan campus.
Indiana University
trustees approve new
construction
Trustees at Indiana University last week
approved spending $44 million of an endowment
grant on a new studio building for the music
school in Bloomington. Trustees also OK'd $25
million for a new science and engineering lab at
IU-Purdue University Indianapolis and $2 million
to replace the Assembly Hall
roof.
New York school district approves capital
improvement projects
In Kingston, New York, school district
officials have selected five new capital
improvement projects on which to spend funding on
the third and final phase of a $21.3 million
capital improvement project. They include $250,000
to remove an underground fuel oil tank at a middle
school, $275,000 to replace bleachers at the high
school field house, $90,000 to replace stage
rigging and curtains in the high school
auditorium, $80,000 to replace 14,000 square feet
of flooring with vinyl composition tile at the
Salzmann Building corridors and $12,000 to replace
stage curtains at an elementary school. Other
projects include replacing an elementary school
roof and renovations to the high school
auditorium.
$4.5 million transit center on
tap for University of
Michigan
A $4.5
million Central Campus transit center has been
approved by the University of Michigan regents.
The project includes resurfacing North University
Street between Fletcher and Church streets,
repairing an undersized city water main, adding
bike lanes, reducing traffic from two lanes to one
in each direction, creating bus drop-off line and
adding larger covered shelters, improving plaza
areas to improve pedestrian traffic and safety and
creating an accessible entrance to the Ruthven
Museum. Half of the funds come from the Recovery
Act.
Missouri State considers $52
million for construction
projects
Officials
of Missouri State University are debating whether
to issue up to $52 million in bonds for
improvements to its academic and auxiliary
buildings. If approved, the bonds would likely be
used for construction on residence halls, the
university recreation center and its West Plains
multipurpose center. Other projects under
consideration are work on the Darr Agriculture
Center, Looney Hall at the West Plains campus and
an addition to a physical therapy building.
School bond
sale projects include construction, security,
technologyThe
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, school board has approved
the sale of a $19 million bond, which is expected
to set off a round of school and school district
improvements that will eventually total $295
million. Among the projects for this $19 million
bond are $12 million for design of portable
classrooms removal projects, $1 million for
infrastructure and repairs, $1 million for
security designs and activities and energy
management projects, $1 million for instructional
allocations to schools, $2 million for bus
replacements, $1 million for technology upgrades
and enhancements and $1 million for instructional
technology.
For information about these and other
funding opportunities,
contact Reagan Weil or
Richard Hartmann at
512-531-3900. |
| Other national
contracting
opportunities |
Seattle Mercer Street project
garners $30M in
funds
Thanks to $30 million in federal funding
from the Transportation Investment Generating
Economic Recovery (TIGER) federal grant program,
Seattle has now secured $140 million for its
Mercer Street project. The project will rebuild
the artery west of Interstate 5. Another $35
million from a state grant will go toward the
state's U.S. 395 North Spokane Corridor Project.
Wisconsin city plans to spend $7 million on
rebuilding roads
Thanks to city and state funding, some $7
million in roads will be rebuilt in Wausau,
Wisconsin, this year. The funding will pay for
rebuilding and widening part of Sherman Street
while reconstructing portions of Third Street. The
widening of Sherman Street to four lanes from 17th
to 22nd avenue will cost approximately $2.2
million. Reconstruction projects on Third Street
will cost $2.6 million. Work is expected to start
in May and conclude in November. Other street
projects will carry a $2.45 million price tag and
will include installing curbs and gutters and
reconstruction of 13 blocks on Highland
Park.
California bridge set for $70 million in
improvements
The
Foresthill Bridge in Placer County, California,
will undergo $70 million in upgrades aimed at
improving the seismic stability and structural
integrity of the bridge. Bids for the project will
be sought soon. Officials note the bridge in its
current state could be vulnerable to earthquake
damage. The project will include a seismic
retrofit, paint job, installation of a new catwalk
and more. The project has been awarded more than
$65 million in federal and state funds and Placer
will contribute $4.4 million in local matching
funds through a transportation bond program
dedicated to local road and bridge projects.
LAX renovation carries
$1.55 billion price
tag
Groundbreaking has been
slated for the $1.55 billion Bradley West Terminal
project at the Los Angeles International Airport.
The project will add 1.25 million square feet of
building area to the Bradley International
Terminal. The existing building will be gutted in
two phases and a new concourse will be built to
the west. The project is the most expensive in LA
municipal history. The cross-field taxiways will
be spaced further apart to accommodate wider
superjumbo planes. A bridge over the new taxiways
will be built to carry people-movers to a second
concourse. New customs and immigration facilities
will be built for incoming passengers and there
will be a new security screening area for those
embarking. Stores and restaurants are also in the
plan.
Research
library to be built at Mount
Vernon
A $38 million gift to
George Washington's Mount Vernon estate in
Virginia will be used to build a research library
on the grounds. The new library is expected to
include 45,000 square feet and will house 45 books
from Washington's library.
Three bridges near Portland to be replaced
in next two years
Three bridges
in the Portland, Maine, area will be replaced over
the next two years at a cost of $100 million. Some
$60 million in federal highway funds will be spent
to replace the Veterans Memorial Bridge connecting
Portland and South Portland starting this summer.
In 2012, the Martin's Point Bridge between
Portland and Falmouth will be replaced at a cost
of $30 million and $7.5 million will be spent this
summer to widen and rehabilitate a bridge over the
Presumpscot River.
Cherokee Indians to invest $633
million in casino additions
The
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians plans to invest
$633 million to transform Harrah's Cherokee Casino
and Hotel into a resort where one can not only
gamble, but also play golf, visit a spa and shop.
The project will double the size of the casino
floor, add 532 hotel rooms, a 3,000-seat events
center and a spa, restaurant and retail
stores. Brooklyn-Queens Expressway bridge
to get upgrade
Originally
estimated to cost as much as $1.7 billion, the
Kosciuszko Bridge over the Brooklyn-Queens
Expressway is about to get an upgrade. Officials
this week rolled out several designs, including
expanding from three to five lanes toward Brooklyn
and four toward Queens. It will also have a
pedestrian walkway and a bicycle lane. The State
Department of Transportation expects the project
to begin in 2014 and be completed several years
later. Most of the costs will be paid by the
federal
government. Massachusetts Port Authority approves $1
billion for 379 projects
More
than $1 billion in funding for 379 projects has
been approved by the Massachusetts Port Authority
as part of its five-year capital improvement plan.
The projects will be implemented from this year
through 2014. Among the projects are an expanded
safety area for a runway at Logan Airport,
repair and renovation of the Terminal B
Parking Garage, centralization of the
security checkpoint at Terminal C, building a
rental car facility, security enhancements
throughout all facilities, an upgrade to the
Conley Container Terminal in South Boston and
upgrades to the Cruiseport Boston passenger
terminal. The Terminal B Garage will include the
use of solar panels on the garage and LED lights
in the garage, road and walkway. The car rental
will be designed to meet LEED Silver
certification. Disabled veteran-owned businesses
sought for new signs,
fencing
Businesses owned by
disabled service veterans are being sought by the
National Cemetery Association to bid on the
procurement and installations of new signs at Fort
Bliss National Cemetery as well as installation of
fence for a storage yard. Forest Service seeking HUB
businesses for projects in national
forest
The Forest Service of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture is seeking quotes from HUBZone
businesses for purchase and installation of
concrete vault toilet facilities in the Santa Fe
National Forest and for construction of host site
improvements as well.
For information about these and
other funding opportunities,
contact Reagan
Weil or Richard Hartmann at
512-531-3900.
|
Stimulus news
briefs
|
Florida schools, shelters to
benefit from solar energy grants
The Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa
Beach has been awarded $10 million in Recovery Act
funds to distribute in the form of SunSmart School
and E-Shelters grants. The schools and shelter
program pushes the use of renewable energy by use
of solar energy systems installed at either type
of facility. The program also supports solar
energy education initiatives for students and
renewable energy curriculum training for teachers.
The program also can provide energy during power
outages. Some 90 schools named to serve as
emergency shelters will be eligible for the
grants.
Railyard road work about
to go out for bids
The City of Sacramento will soon seek bids
for $100 million in road work projects related to
its downtown railyard. Nearly $30 million of that
is stimulus funds. There will be four contracts -
totaling $117 million. They include construction
of two pedestrian routes connecting the railyard
with Old Sacramento and downtown, two bridges
linked to downtown and the relocation of some
train tracks. After the tracks are relocated,
there will be room for an expanded transit
facility. The Sacramento Kings NBA team has
indicated it might be interested in building a
venue for the team at the railyard. The railyard
will eventually include shops, offices and homes
and will cost billions to develop.
Ohio to use funds for
transportation project
Nearly 300 alternative fuel vehicles and 15
refueling stations are coming to Ohio as part of
the state's Ohio Advanced Transportation
Partnership. The initiative, funded by $11 million
in Recovery Act funds, was announced this week. As
part of the program, Alliance AutoGas will
retrofit 77 vehicles in three Ohio fleets, to run
on propane AutoGas and will install refueling
sites at each of the fleet bases. Three different
cab companies in Columbus and Cleveland will all
convert vehicles with Alliance. The conversion is
expected to lower fuel costs for fleets while
reducing greenhouse emissions.
Energy efficiency, green
projects set in California
cities
Energy efficiency and
green retrofits are coming to San Francisco via a
$3 million award from the State Energy Program.
The initiative will provide service to Bay Area
families living in affordable housing and will
lead to retrofitting 26 buildings over the next
two years. The initiative will provide technical
support and loans to projects in San Francisco,
Berkeley and Oakland and other Bay Area cities.
Loans will be used for water efficiency
improvements to existing but older affordable
multifamily housing developments and will be
repaid through savings on utility expenses. Some
1,300 apartments in the target area are expected
to be served, reducing energy and water
consumption by at least 25 percent.
For information about these and other
funding opportunities,
contact Reagan Weil or Richard Hartmann at
512-531-3900. |
What the states are
doing
|
Three Minnesota cities -
Minneapolis, Two Harbors and Wabasso - are
scheduled to receive $28.5 million from the state
of Minnesota for drinking water projects. Some
$7.6 million of the funding comes from Recovery
Act funding. The funds will help improve water
quality and create construction jobs.
Bus
and street projects in Kansas City,
Missouri, will have $50 million
to spend from Recovery Act funds. The project will
include everything from sidewalk and street
repairs to laying a foundation for a regional
express bus network to link Kansas City with
Johnson County and Kansas City, Kansas.
Approximately $8 million will be set aside for
replacing the Troost Bridge over Brush Creek,
another $8 million will be used for sidewalk and
curb repairs, $6 million will help resurface
substandard streets and $4 million is planned for
traffic signal upgrades.
Three ports in Maine
collectively will share $14 million in Recovery
Act funds to help them diversify their customer
base. The International Marine Terminal in
Portland will get $5 million to improve pier
access and cargo handling. The Port of Searsport
has been awarded $7 million for new equipment,
including a heavy-lift mobile harbor crane. The
Port of Eastport will get $2 million for a
warehouse, conveyor equipment and storage
pad.
The City of Amarillo, Texas,
will install 5,300 LED traffic signal bulbs with
$299,000 in Recovery Act funds. The money is part
of $1.8 million the city received from the Federal
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant
through the U.S. Department of Energy for
energy-saving projects. The grant will also pay
approximately $780,000 to install energy-efficient
lighting at six sports fields and the center plaza
of the city's sports complex.
Some $345,000 in stimulus funs will go toward
an $824,000 project to extend wastewater and sewer
lines in Minneola, Florida. The
lines will be extended about one mile along U.S.
Highway 27. The new lines will allow businesses,
including a prison, to hook into the city's
wastewater treatment plant. Those facilities have
been using private wells or septic tanks. Stimulus
funds will pay for approximately 47 percent of the
project cost.
The Port of Quonset Point in Providence,
Rhode Island, will get more than
$22 million in stimulus funds to improve its dock
and buy cranes to help it accommodate a wind
turbine developer and serve container cargo ships.
The crane will be capable of lifting up to 200
tons and the pier will have to be reinforced to
hold such heavy loads. Other funding will be used
to improve railroad access to the pier and build
roads leading to the site.
Expanding U.S. 491 from two to four lanes
between Gallup and Shiprock, New
Mexico, will be paid for with a $31
million allocation to the Navajo Nation. The
federal stimulus funds will be used to add a lane
in each direction and reconstruct existing
roadway.
A fiber-optic network will
be installed in DeKalb County,
Georgia, with $13.2 million in
federal and state funds. Recovery Act funds amount
to $11.9 million for the project. The money will
be used to improve Internet access through a
broadband grant. The new network is expected to
serve 3,600 businesses and 34,000 homes in the
county. |
|
  |
| Calendar of
events |
Public workshops
available for those interested in broadband
grants, loans
A
series of public workshops will be held to review
the application process and to answer questions
from applicants for upcoming National
Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Rural Utilities Service (RUS) funding through the
Recovery Act. The workshops will be in Portland,
Ore.; Reno, Nev.; Denver, Colo.; San Antonio,
Tex.; Eureka, Mo.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Detroit,
Mich.; Blacksburg, Va.; Fayetteville, N.C.;
and Atlanta, Ga. Click HERE to register for the
workshops. Applications will be accepted from Feb.
16 through March 15 and awards are expected to be
announced by Sept. 30. All Interested parties can
register for the workshops at
www.broadbandusa.gov. The agencies will distribute
$4.7 billion of their total $7.2 billion for
infrastructure grants and $3.5 billion to
support grants and loans to facilitate
broadband deployment in rural and remote
areas.
Energy
Innovation Summit slated in March in
D.C.
The U.S. Department of
Energy's (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency
(ARPA) "ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit" is
planned for Monday through Wednesday, March 1-3,
at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention
Center in Washington, D.C. Hosted by ARPA, the
summit is organized by the Clean Technology and
Sustainable Industries Organization and will serve
as a forum for the nation's energy leaders to
share ideas, collaborate and identify key
technology opportunities and challenges. Those
attending will include members of the scientific
and research communities, investors, technology
entrepreneurs, corporations with an interest in
clean energy technologies, policymakers and
government officials. The summit will spotlight
some of ARPA-E's first round of 37 winning
research projects. For more information and to
register for the summit, click HERE.
Small business briefing conferences
slated in Texas
The last two sessions of the Texas
Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) Business
Outreach and Program (BOP) Services Small Business
Briefing conferences have been announced for April
1, 2010, in Dallas and June 15, 2010, in
Texarkana. The conference goal is to provide small
and minority-owned business communities an
opportunity to learn more about contracting
opportunities with TxDOT. Information will be
available to help them do business with the agency
and the State of Texas. The sessions not only
allow small businesses to be introduced to TxDOT
and other state agencies, but also allows them to
learn more about the economic development
opportunities in their regions. It also allows the
agencies to show the myriad of opportunities
available for small and minority businesses in the
state. For more information, click HERE or call 1.866.480.2518,
Option
2. |
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contact:
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Ph:
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