Vendors watching to see if changes affect private sector doing business with state

Rick Scott

Continuing on his campaign promise to create more jobs, Florida Gov. Rick Scott has taken aim at more than 1,200 state rules that he sees as a hindrance to job creation. Scott has said he would like to repeal 1,000 rules currently on the books for state agencies and change an additional 1,200.

The governor's attempts to change or eliminate rules could have an effect on vendors doing business with Florida state government. Scott noted that too many times, businesses have to hire consultants just to make sure they are in compliance with state rules. And many of those rules, he said, are already covered under federal regulations and are thus unnecessary. Others, he said, are obsolete.

"We have a lot of work left to do," said Scott, "but if we do the right things, if we continue to look at every tax, look at every fee, look at regulations we don't need...then there's no reason we won't be the number one state for job creation."

Many of the state's rules are by-products of laws passed by the Florida Legislature. Agencies are charged with writing rules that will ensure implementation of new laws. Hundreds of these new rules and regulations are written by state agencies each year after a legislative session.

While vowing not to do away with rules that affect the health and safety of Florida citizens, just about anything else is fair game, says Scott. However, Scott is not expecting a cake walk when he suggests eliminating or changing some rules. For instance, the Florida Department of Transportation attempted to repeal a rule regarding competitive bidding for consulting contracts and the effort was halted so it could be reviewed further.

Scott also has been eager to see important road projects get under way and is looking at spending more on road projects and public works projects. The road projects could be advanced by using toll roads to generate more interest from the private sector to create public-private partnerships.

Notice anything different?

With this week's edition, the State and Local Government Pipeline has officially changed its name to the Government Contracting Pipeline. Changes have been made to the content of the newsletter as well. There is more information on public-private partnerships, listings of recent major contract awards and the addition of information regarding federal procurement issues. We hope you will like our changes and that you will find the information valuable. If you have suggestions of other information you'd like to see in the newsletter, please contact us at editor@spartnerships.com. 

Spending aimed at strengthening public health infrastructure nationwide

Thomas Frieden

More than $42 million of $137 million to strengthen the public health infrastructure and provide jobs in core areas of public health awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will be used for technology initiatives. The technology funds will be used to improve the Immunization Information Systems registries and other immunization information technologies, develop systems to improve billing for immunization services and to address other aspects of immunization programs.

Another $2.6 million will go to the Emerging Infections Programs nationwide to continue improvement in professional development and training, information technology development and laboratory capacity.

The funding is expected to help states boost prevention and public health and provide jobs in core areas of public health. Most of these grant dollars come from the Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act. Additional Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dollars supplement this investment.

"CDC supports state and local public health departments which are key to keeping America safe from threats to health, safety, and security from this country or anywhere in the world," said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas Frieden. "With these funds, CDC is strengthening our ability to prevent and combat diseases and keep Americans safe against expensive and dangerous health threats."

Want to know who your competition is? Who was awarded the contract on a particular project? Below are listed some recent winners of major government contracts:  

• General Dynamics C4 Systems Inc. has won a five-year, $3.7 billion contract to provide computer hardware and software procurement assistance to the U.S. Army for the procurement of the Command Hardware Systems-4;
• Proof Advertising of Austin, Texas, was awarded a three-year contract with possibility of a two-year extension by the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau that will be worth approximately $2.7 million;
• INX, Inc. has been contracted to become the single point of contact for Central New Mexico Community College's Cisco network. The INX managed services contract is a two-year renewal that will compliment the new three-year Cisco PSS contract. These contracts are worth approximately $1.4 million in services revenue to INX;
• CSC has been awarded a one-year base contract with two one-year options for a three-year value of $291 million by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to support the agency's Office of Information Technology;
• Alion Science and Technology, an employee-owned technology solutions company, has been awarded a three-year, $2 million contract from the U.S. Army Survivability Equipment project office to support ongoing design and development of Army aircraft countermeasures systems;
• Orbital Sciences Corp. has been awarded a $135 million contract from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to design, build and test the Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2 Earth science satellite;
• Fukunaga & Associates, Inc. has been awarded a maximum $7.5 million fixed-price, indefinite delivery architect and engineering services contract for work at various locations in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific area;
• TeleCommunications Systems, Inc., has been named the sole awardee of a delivery order with a potential value of $139.8 million to provide Wireless Point to Point Link systems, field support engineers and ancillary equipment; and
• Boeing has received a $1.09 billion contract with the U.S. Air Force for the third batch of Wideband Global Satcom satellites.

University of Arizona plans include two new research buildings

Bob Smith

The University of Arizona recently approved its capital improvement plans, and included in them are two new research buildings. One of the proposed buildings is a $60 million engineering research center. The engineering school has committed to raising $10 million of the costs through donations. The building would be located next to the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering building. The second proposed building is an $85 million bioscience lab facility. Infrastructure and utility improvements that would have to be completed before construction begins would cost approximately $32 million. The facility would be built near the Bio5 building for disease research. The capital plan also includes $7 million to build classrooms to accommodate 250-600 students. Bob Smith, senior associate vice president at ASU, said the large classrooms are necessary because the university is reaching a point where "we need to teach more students with fewer faculty."

Massachusetts school district to make energy efficiency upgrades

The Pentucket Regional School District in Massachusetts will use a $5.54 million low-interest, federal funding to make many of the district's elementary schools more energy efficient. School officials are aiming for reducing energy consumption by 20 percent at its four elementaries. The allocation to Pentucket was part of an overall $16 million that was shared by eight communities across the state. At Bagnall Elementary, heating equipment will be updated and doors, windows and the roof will be replace, using $2.4 million of the $5.54 million. The Page Elementary School will replace its boiler and remove two of the four systems in the boiler room. A new roof and windows will be installed. Sweetsir Elementary will have duct work installed for a new heating and ventilation system, plus a new roof and windows. Donaghue Elementary will also get a new roof.

Bids to be opened in October for University of Illinois engineering building

Ilesanmi Adesida

A six-story, $95 million Electrical and Computer Engineering Building is in the future for the University of Illinois. The project has been listed under "procurement opportunities" by the state Capital Development Board. The advertisement for bids for construction of the building are expected to be opened in October. The new facility would allow the university to consolidate department programs housed in other buildings on campus. While the state will fund half of the project, the university is depending on private gifts for the other half, said College of Engineering Dean Ilesanmi Adesida. The state has already released its $44.5 million and Adesida said the department is "ready to move ahead now." Original plans for the facility were for a 150,000-square-foot building. It has since grown to 230,000 square feet. The project has been on the university wish list for 40 years. Some 40 percent of the new building will be devoted to high-tech classrooms and instructional labs. Bid opening is slated for Oct. 14, with a pre-bid meeting on Sept. 14.

 

 News about public-private partnerships (P3s)

Ohio first state to sell prison to private company

John Kasich

The Lake Erie Correctional Institution in Ohio recently became the first state prison in the country to be sold to a private firm. Sale price for the facility was $72.7 million, which helped balance the state's prison budget. Four other facilities were on the sale block but did not result in offers the state thought would be advantageous. The private sector firm is expected to take control of the facility on Dec. 31. Ohio Gov. John Kasich supported the sale of the prison facilities to help with revenue to fill an $8 billion budget gap. The state of Louisiana proposed a similar plan, but that state's governor's support for the proposal was defeated by the state's legislature.

 

Providence to use FEMA grant for port security projects

Providence, Maine, has been awarded $1.2 million in port security funding that it will use to purchase specialized equipment for responding to hazardous materials incidents, fire and natural and terrorist disasters. The funds are appropriated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The fire department will use some of the funding to buy a foam firefighting vehicle to respond to flammable liquid incidents. The police department will purchase equipment such as scanning devices and protective gear, both of which will be used to detect and defuse explosive devices. Other funds will be used to buy surveillance cameras, radio equipment, MeshNetwork gear for radio, data and video interoperable communications.  

 

Houston plans projects to be funded with federal homeland security allocation

Annise Parker

Some $66 million in funding - $41.4 million from the 2011 U.S. Homeland Security Grant Program and another $25 million in Port Security Grant Program funds - is headed to the Houston region. "We take our role as a major U.S. city and hub for international trade very seriously. We are a safe city, but we want our emergency personnel to always be ready with the latest tools and training, which will come in part from these federal grants," said Houston Mayor Annise Parker. The city plans to use some of the funding for part of its new 700MH radio system for the city police and fire departments, mobile data computers for police cars, to defray some of the costs of a public safety video project, for equipment and training for police and firefighters, preparedness programs and homeland security planning activities. The port security funding is shared throughout the region. Plans for the funds include helicopter maintenance and support for port operations, commercial vehicle screening, video technology for helicopter operations, marine dive equipment for the police department and communication equipment for the fire department.

  

West Virginia town announces funds allocated for wastewater plant

The town of Delbarton, West Virginia, will get a $10 million federal boost for improvements to the Delbarton Wasterwater Treatment Plant and an extension of sewer services in the town. The funding will be used to install more than six miles of sewer pipe, 187 manholes, 17 grinder pumping stations and to improve efficiency at the treatment facility and water treatment processes. More than 75 new customers who are currently using septic systems at their homes will now be supplied sanitary sewer services, while services will be enhanced for more than 370 existing customers. The funding will include $9.5 million from federal and state sources, $1.5 million from an Appalachian Regional Commission grant, $1.4 million from the Environmental Protection Agency's State Tribal Assistant Grants program, $1.5 million from W. Virginia's Small Cities Block Grant Program and $5.1 million in loans from the state Department of Environmental Protection. 

 

Florida county approves new $31.4 million emergency operations center

Les Miller

Officials in Hillsborough County, Florida, have approved the construction of a $31.4 million emergency operations centers. Although the area has not suffered from a major natural disaster such as a hurricane for years, Commissioner Les Miller reminded other commissioners, "We've got to get ready." The 50,500- to 72,500-square-foot center will be nearly four times the size of the county's existing facility and is expected to be operational in 2014. The 20- to 30-acre campus will include central emergency operations, Fire-Rescue headquarters, dispatch center, traffic management and critical information technology equipment. It will also house a new fire rescue training center. The facility will be built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. The commissioners were updated on three options for the center, with a low price of $28.2 million to a $37.4 million high-end price. The county will essentially take out loans as the project progresses and pay off construction costs in annual installments of $1.8 million over 30 years. 

 

Rate increase impending to pay for financing bonds for plant upgrades

Officials with the Gadsden, Alaska, Water Works and Sewer Board will soon implement an 11 percent increase in water and sewer rates that are part of the financing of a $38 million bond issue passed last year to upgrade the system's water treatment plant and two sewage treatment plants. Although work on the east and west sewage treatment plants should be completed by November, the second phase of the work at those plants is not expected to be bid until next spring and will take a year to complete. Another $22 million will be spent on improvements to the water being treated after it comes out of the Coosa River. The plans for that project have yet to be approved, but are expected to be advertised for bid this month and a bid awarded after the first of the year.

 

Indiana airport planning to install passenger loading bridges at facility

Doug Joest

Officials at the Evansville, Indiana, Airport have included in their Capital Improvement Program plans for installation of passenger loading bridges, or Jetways, at the airport. Airport Manager Doug Joest said he is hopeful the project can be completed within the next year. Jetways protect passengers from bad weather, said Joest, and provide easier airport navigation for persons with disabilities. Joest called them "important for customer service." The estimated cost for the Jetways will be approximately $1.5 million, according to Joest. The airport hopes to purchase three or four of them so it can not only handle current flights, but also be prepared for increased in travelers. Officials hope the project will be eligible for reimbursement from a passenger facility charge being collected, which will become part of their airline ticket.

 

Pennsylvania courthouse renovation project to be put out for bids

Franklin County (Pennsylvania) commissioners expect to seek bids in November for a courthouse renovation project that will give county courts more room. The project is expected to cost between $1.7 million and $2.1 million. The county expects to have contracts let for the work in November or December. Construction is expected to take close to a year. Demolition is expected to occur during the winter. The county also is planning renovations of the former Junior Fire Company building. Work will include a new sally port. All of the projects will include five contracts - for general construction, climate control, plumbing, electrical and elevator. 

 

 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 B. Todd Jones.

B. Todd Jones

B. Todd Jones earned his law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1983. He then went on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he was a trial defense counsel and prosecutor. He later became a partner with a major national law firm in Minneapolis, focusing on business litigation. In 1998, Jones was appointed by President Bill Clinton as United States Attorney, serving until January 2001. He is also a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota. President Barack Obama nominated Jones for the post of U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota in June 2009, and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in August of that same year. Attorney General Eric Holder also has appointed Jones as chair of the Attorney General Advisory Committee, consisting of 18 U.S. Attorneys from throughout the country who advise the Attorney General on Department of Justice policy issues. Jones was recently appointed by Holder to serve as interim director of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

 

Kenneth Melson (top left), interim director of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who has led the agency since 2009, has stepped down and is being reassigned as a senior adviser to the assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Policy. John O'Brien (top center), director of the Texas Legislative Budget Board for the last seven years and formerly a legislative budget analyst and budget official for the city of Austin, has announced that he will retire in April of next year. Dr. Andrew Rogerson (top right), former dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at California State University, Fresno, is the new Provost, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer at Sonoma State, replacing Eduardo Ochoa, who left to serve in the U.S. Department of Education. Lola Alapo, a former K-12 education reporter at the Knoxville News Sentinel, has joined the University of Tennessee's media relations department at an information specialist. Acting City Manager Craig McConnell, who has served in that capacity since May's departure of former Prescott, Arizona, City Manager Laurie Hadley, and who has worked for the city as Public Works Director and Deputy City Manager, has been appointed permanent manager. The Rock Island, Iowa, City Council has approved the hiring of Macon, Georgia's chief administrative officer Thomas Edwin Thomas, as their new city manager, succeeding John Phillips, who is retiring after 24 years as city manager. David G. Baker (middle left), who has been with the Texas Department of Public Safety for more than 33 years, most recently as Assistant Director/Chief of the Texas Highway Patrol, has been selected as the new Deputy Director of Law Enforcement Operations for DPS. Tom Shelton (middle center), Kentucky's 2011 Superintendent of the Year and former superintendent of Daviess County Schools in Owensboro, has been named superintendent of the Fayette County Public Schools, replacing Stu Silberman. The Board of Education in Waterbury, Connecticut, has hired Manchester School Superintendent Kathleen Ouellette (middle right) to run the city's schools. The City of Dakota City, Nebraska, has named Brent Clark, former director of the South Sioux City/Dakota County Convention and Visitors Bureau, as its new city administrator, replacing outgoing City Administrator Bob Peters. Seminole State College Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Paul Gasparro, has been chosen Campus President of the Cuyahoga Community College system in Ohio and will serve as president of the College's Eastern Campus in Highland Hills. Rahmat A. Shoureshi, former dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Denver, is the new provost and vice president for academic affairs at the New York Institute of Technology. Patricia Finnigan (bottom left), assistant city manager of the city of Portland, Maine, for the last four years, has been selected new town manager for the City of Camden. Former Hastings College (Nebraska) Vice President for Student Affaris, Ronald Chesbrough (bottom center), has been chosen the next president of the St. Charles (Missouri) Community College, replacing the retiring President John M. McGuire. Citing her inability to sell her home in New Gloucester since serving as city manager in Rockland, Maine, Rosemary Kulow (bottom right) has announced she will resign, effective Oct. 3, and has accepted a job in a town near New Gloucester where she can live with her husband. Dr. Albert Walker, president of Bluefield State College in Bluefield, W. Virginia, will succeed the retiring Dr. Henry Givens Jr. as president of Harris-Stowe State University in Missouri. Ashland, Oregon, City Administrator Martha Bennett has accepted the position of chief operation officer for Portland Metro, and will continue to work for the city of Ashland through October. Los Alton, California, City Manager Douglas Schmitz has announced his retirement after four years in that position, effective March 31 of next year.