Volume 2, Issue 6
| May 26, 2010 |
|
Technology vendors will find large, immediate opportunities in government marketplaces!
 Governmental entities are becoming data sleuths!! With millions of records being generated, stored, accessed and data mined daily, the potential for government contracting is huge. Technology vendors and service providers will find the public sector marketplace competitive and sometimes bureaucratic...but definitely worth the effort - because opportunities to capture new business are abundant.
At a time when government budgets are thin, expectations are at an all time high...and being exceeded each month. Information is precious and every government jurisdiction is being stretched to provide more comprehensive data, immediate access and real time reporting.
|
|
| Strategic Partnerships, Inc. provides opportunity identification for all 50 states. Click here for more information. | |
|
 |
| Veterans Affairs preparing to issue RFP for $12 billion |
Funds would provide information technology services for federal agency
 The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is preparing to issue an RFP for $12 billion in information technology services as part of its Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology acquisition vehicle. A draft request for proposals was issued on May 21, which indicated the VA will award more than a dozen indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity prime contracts totaling a maximum of $12 billion over five years. The solicitation seeks to acquire IT and telecommunications services for program management and strategy planning, systems/software engineering, enterprise work, cybersecurity, operation and maintenance and IT facility support.
The estimated minimum quantity is $50,000. Individual Task Orders will be issued on a best value, performance-based time-and-materials, cost reimbursement and/or firm-fixed-price basis.A formal solicitation is expected in early June. A pre-solicitation conference is planned for June 8.
|
Upcoming education opportunities
|
Arkansas university planning to construct amphitheater
 Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas has been awarded a $248,000 grant to build an amphitheater.
The grant, from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council, will allow the DeQueen, Arkansas, college to build a facility that will be used for a variety of performances, according to Chancellor-elect Steve Cole (pictured).
New Jersey schools to have funds distributed for variety of projects
 The state of New Jersey has indicated it will borrow $500 million for the state Schools Development Authority to start building again after funding for construction dried up. Marc Larkins (pictured), head of the authority, said he was excited about the governor's continued support of the program, but authority officials said there is no timetable for when the numerous districts will get the funding.
There are 50 school construction projects on hold in various stages of development with a dozen already under construction. First to be completed are likely the more than 130 emergency repair projects. Larkin will review the projects to see which will be funded.
Oregon school district bond issue for $18.5 million passes
An $18.5 million school bond issue in Ontario, Oregon, has passed leading to improvements to be made at all district schools.
Austin Community College buys mall store
 Austin (Texas) Community College has purchased a four-story department store at a local mall and will use the facility and 18 acres of land for offices and classrooms. The store includes 194,000 square feet of space.
ACC President Dr. Stephen Kinslow (pictured) said the purchase will allow the community college to consolidate its business and administrative services. He added there is high demand for services in that area. Kinslow said the investment will allow the college to expand both operations and student services.
Successful Ohio bond issue will lead to three new schools
 A bond issue to build three new schools has passed in Circleville (Ohio) City Schools. The district will now issue $37.9 million in bonds for the construction. To be built are a high school, a middle school and a consolidated elementary school.
Superintendent Kirk McMahon (pictured) has indicated that the elementary and high school will likely be constructed next spring, in time for a fall 2013 opening. The junior high is expected to be built in time for a fall 2015 opening.
Ohio's Warren schools to seek approval for $72M project
The Warren schools will take a $72 million construction vote to district taxpayers in August. The money would be used to build three elementary schools, a high school and a junior high school. Voters would provide 42 percent of the cost of the project. The district's buildings are aging, according to Superintendent Tom Gibbs, who is hoping votes approve the issue that will seek the remainder of the project funding from the Ohio School Facilities. Gibbs said students at the school would do better if they had more access to technology, AP courses and other resources that many other schools have. "We need to do better and our facilities are holding us back," he said.
Ohio school earns grant to install solar panels
 The Kenton County School District in Edgewood, Ohio, will use $2 million in Recovery Act funding to install solar panels on the roof of the new Turkey Foot Middle School, which is slated to open in August. "This grant puts us well on our way to becoming the first net-zero middle school in the state," said Superintendent Tim Hanner (pictured).
The solar panels are expected to allow the school to produce as much energy annually as it uses. In addition to the solar panels, the school will also incorporate other energy efficiencies such as geothermal heating and cooling, lighting-control systems and a rain capture system.
Texas State University plans new residence hall on campus
 Texas State University System regents recently approved the design development for its new North Campus Housing Complex project (pictured) to be located at Texas State University-San Marcos. The facility carries a $46 million price tag, significantly lower than the original estimate of $63 million.
The facility will feature more than 600 beds and will be a traditional student residence facility. Its beds will replace those lost to a demolition project involving an aging student housing facility. That building is being razed to make room for a planned Performing Arts Complex and other academic buildings.
Town officials approve school projects in Massachusetts
Renovations to an elementary school and purchase of property were approved for the Scituate, Massachusetts schools. A total of $2.33 million will be spent on renovations and $1.87 million is being set aside for property purchase. Updates to the school include fire safety and electrical systems, a new heating system, roof repairs, new tiles and a new boiler.
For information about these and other funding opportunities,
contact Reagan Weil or Richard Hartmann at 512-531-3900.
|
|  |
| Other upcoming contracting opportunities |
Delaware River Port Authority bridge construction scheduled
 The Walt Whitman Bridge is about to undergo a $128 million redecking project. The endeavor includes removal of the suspended span, installation of a new lightweight concrete-filled, jointless grid deck, structure improvements and more. Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) CEO John J. Matheussen (pictured) called the project "one of the cornerstones of our five-year, $1 billion capital budget." He said the result will be an entirely new deck over the Delaware River "using state-of-the-art technology." Preliminary work will begin in August and should be completed by summer 2014. This is the largest capital improvement project ever undertaken by the DRPA.
City kicks in $2 million to convert bank to museum The City of Las Cruces, New Mexico, has voted to approve a $2 million loan from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help convert a former bank building into a museum that will highlight the area's natural history. The planned Las Cruces Museum of Nature and Science will use the loan and another $2 million grant from the Brownfield Economic Development Initiative to pay for $4 million of the estimated $5 million cost. City funds already earmarked for the project will pay for the final $1 million. The loan, coupled with a $2 million Brownfield Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) grant, will pay for $4 million of the projected $5 million cost to refurbish the former bank building. City money already budgeted for the museum will take care of the rest. Design of the new 8,500-square-foot museum will take about six months, and a contract to refurbish the building could be awarded sometime in the first quarter of 2011.
VA awards grants for new nursing home, improvements
 The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded two grants totaling nearly $22.4 million to the construction of a new 100-bed nursing home in Minnesota. "Our federal-state partnership helps to provide comfortable and safe housing for Minnesota Veterans who have served their country," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki (pictured). The VA will cover 65 percent of the costs of the new construction and renovation. The VA estimates the new nursing home will carry a price tag of $19.2 million and the renovations used by the adult day health care program will total $3.2 million. The VA operates medical centers in Minneapolis and St. Cloud and outpatient clinics and vet centers across the state. Chicago airport, system seeking products, servicesThe Chicago O'Hare International Airport is issuing several RFPs and RFQs for a variety of services and products. The airport this week will advertise an RFQ for concourse H/K Air Handling Unit (AHU) replacements at an estimated cost of $1,000,001 to $5 million. An RFQ was advertised last week for variable frequency drive pumps and fans inspection, maintenance, repair and replacement with a bid opening date in June. The airport is also seeking airfield training consulting services while program finance services are being sought for the Chicago Airport System.
River restoration project slated in New Mexico
Nearly a dozen projects to improve rivers and riparian areas across New Mexico will be paid for in part by $1.5 million in state funds. The money is part of the capital improvement financing approved by the State Legislature last year in support of the governor's river ecosystem restoration program. Among the projects funded at erosion control for the Carlsbad Soil and Water Conservation District, bosque plantings in Santa Ana Pueblo and improvements to the Black Canyon Creek.
Disaster Recovery funds to support new emergency shelter A Disaster Recovery Fund grant administered by the Texas Department of Rural Affairs has been awarded to Liberty County, Texas. The funds will be used to convert a former retail store into an emergency shelter. The new shelter, according to County Judge Phil Fitzgerald (pictured), will feature 30,000 square feet of space for the shelter itself and another 30,000 square feet for an annex building. That building area will house county agencies in an annex that includes the engineering department, indigent health care and juvenile probation departments.
Oklahoma airports garner federal funds for construction projects
The Tulsa International Airport and Jones Riverside Airport together have nabbed $12.5 million in federal grant funds for construction projects. More than $9 million from the Transportation Security Administration will be used to fund the design and construction of upgrades to the outbound baggage surveyor system at Tulsa International Airport. With $1.09 million in Federal Aviation Administration grant funds, the airport will also install a 12-inch water line to support commercial projects in the North Development Area at Tulsa International. Finally, a $1.6 million FAA grant and a $42,317 grant from the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission will be used to rehabilitate Taxiway Zulu and several taxilanes at Jones Riverside.
Florida budget OKs millions to projects at Tampa International, port authority Analysis of the Florida budget shows some $3.7 million of state funds are headed to the Tampa International Airport. The fund will pay for projects that include curbside modernization, expansion of car rental facilities, airfield and roadway work and airside refurbishment. Brenda Geoghagan (pictured), director of Public Information and Community Relations, said that in addition to the money the airport generates, it also receives local, state and federal grant money. In addition to the airport funding, the Tampa Port Authority would also receive $5 million from the budget for seaport development.
Roswell, New Mexico, police-fire station planning alterations
Approximately $150,000 in alterations to the building that houses the fire and police stations in Roswell, New Mexico, will be bid next month. The project includes remodeling the existing station to include demolition, concrete, pre-engineered metal building, fencing, mechanical and electrical.
For information about these and other funding opportunities,
contact Reagan Weil or Richard Hartmann at 512-531-3900.
|
Where are they now?
|
Are you a government official who has moved into a new position or to a new agency? Did you recently retire? Were you recently named to an executive-level position at a state-supported college, university or community college? Have you secured a new job as superintendent of a public school? If so, we'd like to hear from you - and so would your friends and colleagues - for our "Where Are They Now" column. Just drop us a line at editor@spartnerships.com and let us know about your previous job and where you are now. This week we feature Richard Williams.
 Richard Williams (pictured) is a former state police district commander who was based in Las Cruces, New Mexico, covering Do-a Ana County and portions of Luna, Otero and Sierra counties. For the last 11 months, he has served as a major with the New Mexico State Police, serving as commander of the Standards Bureau at state police headquarters in Santa Fe. As commander, he supervised the department's Internal Affairs and Research and Development divisions. He also was responsible for the international law enforcement accreditation for the department. Williams recently was named police chief for the City of Las Cruces, a position he will assume June 7. |
|  |
What the states are doing with stimulus funds
|
Nonprofits in Arizona were recently awarded $50,000 each for renewable energy projects. The total for the 14 entities is $637,328 for projects such as $50,000 for a solar water hearing and electricity system for a family shelter and $32,000 to install solar water heating at another facility.
The Delta Diablo Sanitation District in Antioch, California, has been awarded $781,000 in stimulus funds. The facility reuses water for landscaping at parks and green spaces in the city. The Antioch project will include six miles of underground pipeline, a 1.1 million-gallon storage tank and a distribution pump station. It is expected to provide 159 million gallons of water per year.
In Warren County, Kentucky, the Richardsville Elementary School has been awarded $1.3 million in stimulus funds to purchase solar panels to make the school the nation's first Net-Zero Energy Schools. The school is expected to open in August.
A $41.2 million highway project in San Luis Obispo County, California, is being paid for mostly with stimulus dollars. Eleven miles of the roadway will be resurfaced with $37.2 million in stimulus funds and the remainder from the state. Work also will be done to widen bridges and resurface on and off ramps in that same stretch of highway.
A $12 million upgrade to the Hampshire House in Warren, Ohio, an affordable housing complex, will be partially funded with stimulus funds. Improvements will include new roofs, playgrounds and common areas and new kitchens, bathrooms, windows and elevators. Lighting and security measures will also be increased.
Several cities in the Dallas, Texas, area are preparing to spend stimulus funds for energy efficiency programs through energy efficiency block grants. The cities of McKinney and Richardson are planning alternative energy demonstration projects at city buildings. Richardson will use solar panels and wind turbines at the new Huffhines Recreation Center. McKinney will include solar panels and wind turbines at its new library. Kiosks will be available with information for citizens to show them how to save money through efficient use of energy. Garland will spend nearly $1.5 million on a high-efficiency HVAC system at its city hall and the City of Irving will install solar-powered LED streetlights.
Fifteen repaving projects are slated in Salisbury, Maryland, funded by $1.8 million in Recovery Act funds. The Maryland State Highway Administration is also planning two stimulus-funded paving projects in June.
Major upgrades are on tap for the Saffel Canyon OHV Trail in Springerville, Arizona, thanks to stimulus funding. Crews this summer will use the $416,000 allocated to the projects for construction and maintenance work to improve the 21-mile trail, including resurfacing projects, installing signage, cattle guards and structures to protect watersheds.
The State of Pennsylvania has been awarded $14.3 million in stimulus funds to expand a data system that will track student progress. Twenty states were chosen to share $250 million in grant funds. The primary purpose of the program is to show how well students and teachers are doing at each stage of the educational process.
Kane County, Illinois, has been awarded $17 million in stimulus funds for water-related projects. The funds are from Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds. Local communities were recently invited to a meeting to hear about the loans and how to qualify and apply for them. The 15 applications received were for water supply, water distribution or water treatment projects. Fifteen others were for storm water and flood relief projects. Nearly a dozen more addressed wastewater collection and treatment.
Individuals and families in Iowa will benefit from $81 million in stimulus funds to be used to weatherize their homes. The funds will be used for insulation, furnace upgrades, etc.
Sarasota and Manatee counties in Florida had construction projects come in under budget and thus have a surplus of stimulus funds to spend. Manatee should have some $2.95 million left for road, sidewalk and other work it plans in Parrish, Bradenton and Anna Maria Island. Sarasota could end up with $1 million in leftover funds. Some of the projects on tap include repaving of some streets, doing work on a seawall and constructing sidewalks.
Some small cities in Indiana are planning to use the $900,000 they will collectively receive from stimulus funding for LED streetlight replacement projects. The cities of Argos, Bainbridge, Breman, Columbia City, Dyer, Ferdinand, Monticello and Wayne Township will have funding that ranges from $22,845 to $249,504 from which to fund projects.
Biking in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will soon be improving as $17 million in stimulus funds will be used to make the city more bike-friendly, including a bridge over a railroad track. Other improvements include the addition of new trails.
Energy efficiency will be the goal of the use of $2.1 million in federal funds allocated to the Scott Air Force Base in southwestern Illinois. The funds will be used to convert the 126th Air Refueling Wing building's old HVAC system to a geothermal system, cutting energy costs 40 percent.
|
People
|   C. Peter Magrath (top left), who most recently served as interim president of West Virginia University, has been named interim president of the State University of New York's Binghamton campus, replacing President Lois B. DeFleur, who resigned. Karen Robinson (top right) has been named executive director of the Texas Department of Information Resources and Chief Information Officer for the State of Texas after having served as interim executive director since last October. Charles Bechkam, a longtime Detroit political appointee and key adviser to Mayor Dave Bing, will retire from city government. After more than 28 years with the Lubbock Fire Department, Mike Kemp has been named the city's eighth fire chief, after serving in the position since last December when Chief Rhea Cooper retired. The Alamogordo, New Mexico, Public Schools Board of Education has chosen Director of Career and Technical Education Joe Jaramillo as interim superintendent, replacing Superintendent Mike Harris, who resigned. Ian O'Neill has been named interim city manager for the City of Lone Grove, Oklahoma, to replace former city manager Marianne Effert. The Sanger Independent School District in Texas has chosen Kent Crutsinger (middle left) as the lone superintendent of the school, replacing Superintendent Jack Biggerstaff, who is retiring. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has reappointed Karen Jackson (middle right) as Deputy Secretary of Technology, a position to which she was  appointed after having served as director of the Office of Telework Promotion and Broadband Assistance. H. Hank Hurd, interim superintendent of Durham, North Carolina, Public Schools, will retire on July 1, and will be replaced by Guilford County Schools official Eric Becoats. The Galloway Township School District has elevated Assistant Superintendent Annette Giaquinto to superintendent, replacing Superintendent Douglas Groff, who will retire at the end of June. A former Texas A&M University president, Dr. Ray Bowen, has been named chair of the board that oversees the National Science Foundation. National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander (bottom left) has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the U.S. Department of Defense's new Cyber Command, which will integrate the military's offensive and defensive cyber capabilities. Retired Navy admiral Dennis C. Blair (bottom right) will resign from the position of the nation's intelligence director. Former U.S. Senator Bob Graham and former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator William K. Reilly will head the presidential commission investigating the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Connie Snyder, director of admissions and records at Bainbridge College in Georgia, has been named interim Dean for Student Services. Michael Travaglini, who heads Massachusetts's pension, plans to leave that job in June   and go to work for a Chicago investment firm. Former Texas A&M University vice president Dean Bresciana has been named president at North Dakota State University, replacing Joseph Chapman, who resigned. Erskine College in South Carolina has named 34-year-old David A. Norman, a former religion professor who has been working for a higher education consulting firm, as the college's 15th president - replacing Randall T. Ruble, who will retire June 30. President Barack Obama has nominated U.S. Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno for re-appointment to the rank of general with assignment as commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command, which includes 1.6 million active and reserve personnel from each branch of the military and civilian and contract employees. Piedmont Technical College Senior Vice President and General Counsel Jim Klauber has been chosen to serve as the next president of Owensboro Community and Technical College in Owensboro, Kentucky. J. Anthony (Tony) Fernandez, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Lewis-Clark State College since 2003, has been named interim president at the college, effective July 1 to replace Dene Thomas, who is leaving to become president of Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. |
|
  | | Let us help advertise your event on our calendar |
Does your organization or agency have an upcoming event that would be of interest to either vendors who do business with government or officials and workers in state and local government, higher education, public education or health care? Are you planning a webinar? A conference or seminar? The State & Local Government Pipeline invites government and nonprofits to send information regarding your events for consideration to be included in our FREE Calendar of Events section below. In addition to providing contact information, the day, date, time and a synopsis of the event, you may also include a link to additional information on your Web page and/or a link to online registration that we'll include. Please submit your event information to editor@spartnerships.com. |
| Calendar of events |
4th Annual HAZUS conference slated in August in Indianapolis
The 4th Annual HAZUS Conference is slated for Monday through Wednesday, Aug. 23-25, at the Indiana Government Center, South Building in Indianapolis. HAZUS-MH is a risk assessment methodology used to analyze potential losses from natural hazards including floods, hurricane winds and earthquakes. HAZUS uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software combined with science, engineering and math modeling to map and display hazard data and the results of damage and economic loss estimates for buildings and infrastructure. It was developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under contract with the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). Federal, state and local government agencies and the private sector can order HAZUS-MH free-of-charge from the FEMA Publication Warehouse. The purpose of this site is to promote HAZUS training and provide quick links to key resources that encourage the use of HAZUS to ensure the safety of the United States. To register, click here.
Texas State University to host construction forum in June
Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, is hosting a construction forum on Tuesday, June 1. The Historically Underutilized Business Outreach Program and Office of Facilities Planning Design and Construction program event will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on campus at the LBJ Student Center ballroom. Subcontractors who qualify or potentially qualify as a "Historically Underutilized Business" are invited to network with key stakeholders, Texas State staff, general contractors, other universities and local minority trade organizations on upcoming Texas State and other universities' construction projects.
Government Health IT Conference planned in June
The 2010 Government Health IT (GHIT) Conference and Exhibition, sponsored by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), is slated for June 15-16 at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. Featured educational tracks include: Blueprints for Nationwide Health Information Exchange and Connecting the Health Community. For more information, click here.
Small business briefing conference slated in Texas
The last session of the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) Business Outreach and Program (BOP) Services Small Business Briefing conferences has been announced for June 15 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. To register, click here.
Austin Cap Metro to host networking session for vendors
Capital Metro in Austin, Texas, will host a "Prime Time Networking Session" for vendors on Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. CST at IBC Bank conference room, 2817 Cesar Chavez. The event is designed to provide vendors an opportunity to meet Primes, certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises and other small businesses that may be of value to vendors on current and future projects. The session will also create the opportunity to meet Cap Metro management, project managers and staff. Other invited government partners will include officials of the Texas Department of Transportation, the City of Austin office of Small and Minority Business Resources and others. Information on future procurement opportunities will be provided. To RSVP for the Prime Time Networking Session please call 512-369-6255 or email carmen.gonzales@capmtetro.org.
|
| Don't miss out on another issue! |
Many of our subscribers forward this newsletter to co-workers and associates. If you are not a subscriber, but would like to continue receiving this free newsletter each week, please click HERE to subscribe. |
| Procurement consulting, national research and advocacy services |
Strategic Partnerships, Inc. (SPI), a leader in state and local government procurement, national research and government relations, offers client-customized services to help companies find and capture government contracts. Click here for details.
For more information contact:
 Strategic Partnerships, Inc.Mary Scott Nabers, President
Ph: 512.531.3900
|
For information about SPI's products and services: sales@spartnerships.com
© 2010 Strategic Partnerships, Inc. All rights reserved. | |
|
|
|
|
|
