Technology is revolutionizing the way government operates and the public sector is a huge marketplace for companies that offer technology products and solutions. Public officials are unabashed in their comments as they encourage firms to bring them unsolicited proposals.

Here are examples of how technology is changing the way government operates:

• The Maryland Governor's Office recently traded in hundreds of paper-filled binders and folders for sleek computer tablets filled with electronic data. After a successful pilot, they provided laptop tablets and styluses. The use of paper has dropped by 90 percent since the change. 

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More than $470 million will be used for creating jobs, improving infrastructure

For once, the news about "earmarks" out of Washington, D.C., is good. The Obama Administration has announced that funds previously being held for earmarks for pet projects of lawmakers nationwide will be allocated to the states. More than $470 million in unspent earmarks will be made available. The goal is twofold - to create jobs and to improve the transportation infrastructure across the country.

 "Over the last decade, Congress has set aside $473 million in transportation funds that were never spent," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "These idle earmarks have sat on the shelf as our infrastructure continues to age

Ray LaHood

and fall into disrepair, and hundreds of thousands of construction workers look for work.

"We are freeing up these funds so states can get down to the business of moving transportation projects forward and putting our friends and neighbors back to work."

The funds available are from unspent earmarks that date back to appropriation acts from FYs 2003-2006. Those transportation acts provide for the Transportation Secretary to use the funds left unspent for eligible surface transportation projects. The states can begin using their allocated funds for eligible highway, transit, passenger rail or port projects. Those projects must be identified by Oct. 1 to be eligible for funding, and the funds must be obligated by Dec. 31, 2012. Those not obligated by that date will be proportionally redistributed in FY 2013 to states that met the deadline.

Alabama has the largest unobligated funds balance at more than $51.4 million. California's unobligated balance is more than $43 million, Texas' is more than $30 million and Pennsylvania's is more than $28.5 million. To view the list of unobligated balances by state and descriptions of the projects and the obligated and unobligated amounts of their allocations, click here and look under "Recent Reports."

Product of public-private partnership expected to cost $1 billion when completed

An artist's rendering of the proposed $1 billion MutliModal Passenger Terminal in Atlanta.

A $1 billion MultiModal Passenger Terminal (MMPT) that is a product of a public-private partnership in Atlanta is likely to be completed a year ahead of time thanks to a plan by the White House to accelerate the project. The project is a collaboration among the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), the Atlanta Regional Commission, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, Central Atlanta Progress/Atlanta Downtown Improvement District and the city of Atlanta.

The project includes a transportation hub that will be a central facility and transfer point for current and existing intercity, regional and local transit services.

Last month, the project was added to the Federal Infrastructure Projects Permitting Dashboard, which allows for the expediting of the federal permitting and review process, shaving as much as a year off the time for those processes.

The project calls for a facility with 80 bus bays, five rail platforms that will accommodate up to five tracks, street car platforms and parking. One of the design firms recently revealed three different design concepts for the facility. The different designs are centered around using one to three city blocks and one to three bus levels. The developers will be able to develop related retail, commercial and residential projects.

The MMPT is expected to be located on a nearly 120-acre site in downtown Atlanta, near Philips Arena and the CNN Center. Design work is continuing, and no construction schedule has been announced. The station itself is expected to cover 15-20 acres.

Mobile program allows vendor to access contracting opportunities in real time

Bob McDonnell

The State of Virginia has an app for that! The state recently announced the launch of a new mobile app that will allow vendors easier access to its e-procurement system. Called "eVA Mobile 4 Business," the application offers a free mobile view of available contracting opportunities - and in real time. It can be accessed by Android, iPhone and BlackBerry devices and a number of tablet computers.

State officials note there are more than 53,000 vendors and 22,000 state, higher education and local government entities involved in Virginia's eVA procurement process. The new app has the ability to connect them all.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said the project will "provide a broader and more responsive audience of people to know what Virginia needs." He said the app allows vendors to know "in an instant" what products and services the state needs. He said he is confident the service will be well-received and save both time and money. The governor also said he expects the app to increase the number of vendors seeking government contracts and thus increase competition. The result will likely be better prices for the state. State officials also see the new app as a boon for small businesses.

Additionally, Virginia's eVA program also recently launched its "Quick Quote Revenue Auction," another app that allows vendors to bid multiple times with better pricing each time on a contracting opportunity. To test the system and gauge state officials' forecast that the new system would allow the state to get lower prices for products and services, one county in the state sought bids on a fire department vehicle. The bids started at $67,890, but the winning bid actually came in a $37,100, saving the county 45 percent off the original bid.

California school district calls $385 million bond referendum

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District in California has called a Nov. 6 election for voters to decide a $385 million election that will aid in construction costs in the district. If passed, $54 million of the bond proceeds would be used for a science and technology building at Samohi, new classrooms would be built at Lincoln Middle School and a new $30 million library would be built at the Malibu High School. A variety of other construction projects would be funded throughout the district.

New York school district approves $1.4 million renovation for school

Doug Wyant

The Bryant Elementary School in the Hornell City School District in New York will undergo a $1.4 million renovation to include an HVAC upgrade and reallocation of space for classroom instruction, according to Superintendent Doug Wyant, Jr. The school board gave tentative approval for the projects recently and is expected to finalize the approval next month. The funds will come from a $4.7 million state allotment that the district must use or lose by the end of 2013. At the intermediate school, preparations are being made for demolition of a wing added in 1935. Construction on a second part of the overall intermediate school project will likely begin in September and be completed by the end of the year. School officials are watching an area of the intermediate school where a hose line burst in July, with water spreading to several different areas. The general contractor will pay for replacement of any damaged materials.

Public universities in Mississippi trying to nail down funding needs

Public institutions of higher education in Mississippi have added up their building renovation and new construction needs and have come up with a total figure of $684 million. The College Board has decided to forward the top 10 projects from each college or university to members of the State Legislature in advance of their next session. There was no bond funding set aside during the last legislative session. Bond funds traditionally help pay for building and renovating academic and administrative buildings. College officials and College Board members are seeking some kind of program to set up how much can be borrowed every four years so they can better plan for construction. Some college officials suggest that multiyear commitments might accelerate outside fundraising, with institutions being able to raise funds to match those allocated by the state.

Massachusetts town approves spending $26M to build new K-3 school

Greg Maass

Two school buildings, dating back to 1916 and 1948 in Marblehead, Massachusetts, have been torn down to make way for a new $26 million project that includes a new K-3 school. The new school is expected to be a 79,000-square-foot, two-story site, according to Marblehead Superintendent Greg Maass. The two buildings that were demolished were not accessible to persons with handicaps, the electrical systems were failing and the boiler was nearing 100 years old. Maass said sometimes officials had to shop on eBay to find parts for failing systems. One restroom served the entire school and there was no cafeteria. Music classes were held on another campus. The new school will feature 20 modern classrooms, five for each grade. It will feature a cafeteria, library, a small gym and an elevator. A feasibility study was conducted in 2008 and in 2010, the study recommended building a new school. An election that would authorize borrowing more than $24 million was turned down by voters in 2010, but approved the following year. The state will reimburse the town $10 million of the project costs. The addition of a kindergarten to the campus will increase the student population from about 325 students to 425. And by moving kindergarten to this campus, the district will now have more space at the Eveleth School, which currently houses kindergarten.

 

Miami-Dade school district puts $1.2 billion bond issue to vote

A $1.2 billion school bond election has been approved for Nov. 6 by the Miami-Dade School Board. The bond proceeds, if the election passes, will provide for upgrades to schools and for technology. Calling the election was endorsed by numerous representatives of business, faculty, parents, students and residents. All agree that getting out the word to voters regarding the need for the funding is essential.

 

Alabama school board OKs $100M in bonds for construction projects 

Martha Peek

Mobile (Alabama) County schools Superintendent Martha Peek has been given authority by the school board to enter into a contract to take out a $100 million bond for a variety of construction projects throughout the school system. Although the list of projects has not been finalized, the tentative plans are for a new $28 million Cintronelle High School, a new $16 million K-8 school to replace an elementary and middle school in Trinity Gardens and a new $10 million middle school in Maysville. Among the other proposed projects are a $2 million football stadium for three high schools to share, a $3 million renovation of Barton Academy in Mobile and major renovations at five other schools. Two schools will undergo additions and seven elementary schools would get new multi-purpose buildings. The school board began with a list of $400 million in possible projects and was able to pare that down to $150 million. The Robbins, Indian Springs, Orchard, Grant, Hall, St. Elmo and Burroughs elementary schools each will get $2 million for their multi-purpose buildings. Among the renovations and additions, $5 million would be spent at Dunbar Magnet School and Phillips Preparatory. Tanner-Williams Elementary would benefit from $6.3 million, while Lott Elementary would get $6 million. The Dauphin Island Elementary would receive $1 million, Burns Middle School would get $2.1 million for a new wing and B.C. Rain High would get an aviation academy from a $1.5 million allocation.

 

Fort Worth school district taking $255 million bond proposal to voters

The Northwest school district in Fort Worth will ask voters to approve a $255 million bond election on Nov. 6. The bond proceeds would be used to pay for improvements in the district and construction of a new high school and middle school.  The bond projects would also include technology upgrades, safety and security improvements, program enhancements and additional space for math, science and environmental studies classes and constructing additions at some schools. The new construction and additions are necessary to meet the district's growing student population, which is expected to increase by nearly 6,000 by the 2017-2018 school year.

 

Columbia River Crossing one of several expedited transportation projects

John Kitzhaber

The Columbia River Crossing project, which would replace the Interstate 5 Bridge spans, extend the Portland light rail system into Vancouver and rebuild several interchanges, is being expedited by the President. The $3.5 billion project is expected to create thousands of jobs. The federal government is helping expedite the project by speeding up the federal permitting process and hopes to begin construction in 2014. The bridge structures were built in 1917 and 1958 and neither meets safety or geometric standards. I-5 carries more than $40 billion in freight each year between Canada and Mexico and that figure is expected to increase to $71 billion by 2030. Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber said the project "is about more than connecting Vancouver and Portland, but about connecting small and large manufacturers and businesses - from Hillsboro to Los Angeles, Seattle to Vancouver, Canada - that depend on a reliable interstate system to move their goods." The governor said federal support for the project ensures the project will be done. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the project is "going to be a model for multimodal transportation."  

John Anderson

Check out these recent awards:

• ARAG Services LLC was issued a $2.3 million, 36-month contract by the City of Austin, Texas, for group prepaid legal services.

• Econometrica won a contract worth up to $9.1 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for professional, administrative and management support services.

• BAE Systems has been awarded a $306 million contract by the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command to upgrade 353 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, which are designed to transport infantry with armored protection while providing fire cover.

• Natt McDougall Company has been awarded an $18.6 million contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct a new fish-handling facility at Wiley Park on the south bank of the South Santiam River.

• H.R. Quadri Contractors, LLC has been awarded an $8,388,191 contract from the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for Highway 34 improvements, including grading, paving and realigning several curves along the highway, replacing a bridge over Gimlet Creek with a box culvert and installing shoulders.

• Hensel Phelps Construction Co. was awarded $44.8 million contract to build a hangar for Fort Carson's new combat aviation brigade, the latest of several new construction projects for the post.

• Illinois Constructors Corp. has been awarded a $1.8 million contract by the La Salle (Illinois) City Council to construct a dike around the city's old wastewater treatment plant to protect the plant from Illinois River flooding.

• Burke Electric has been awarded a $4 million design and construction contract by the Federal Bureau of Reclamation to replace a 30-year-old relay system that protects and monitors high-voltage power lines linked to Grand Coulee Dam's generators and switchyards.

• AAR Inc. and Sisk-Robb Inc. have been awarded a $3.5 million, 60-month contract by the city of Austin, Texas, for asbestos, lead and mold abatement services for Austin Energy.

• Dynamics Research Corp., which provides consulting, engineering and technology services to federal and state governments, has been awarded a $13 million contract by the Army Contracting Command-National Capital Region to support the Air Force Medium Altitude Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Office.

• Konica-Minolta Business Solutions won a contract worth up to $1.2 million from the U.S. Navy for office machines, text processing systems and visible record equipment.

 

Partnership helps ensure construction of two Hawaii campus buildings

Two buildings will be built on the West Hawaii Community College campus in Kona as a result of a public-private partnership. Gov. Neil Abercrombie recently released $7.5 million in state funds for the Culinary Arts Building and the Health Science and Student Services Building. Both are part of a new campus being developed. In addition to the state funding, another $9.8 million in funding is being provided by Palamanui LLC, which is a developer collaboration between Hunt Companies and Charles R. Schwab. The funding for the Kona campus is part of a total of $92 million in state funding for improvements to the University of Hawaii system. The funds also include $60 million for capital projects and deferred maintenance, and $19.4 million for health, safety and code requirements at numerous campuses in the state.

Maryland's Brown promises another shot at P3s next year

Anthony Brown

Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown says other states have successfully used public-private partnerships to build roads and public buildings in the state. And while Maryland lacks the framework to do more P3s, he is promising to bring the issue before the Maryland General Assembly next year. In fact, the likely gubernatorial candidate said he would like to see the state support 6-10 percent of its infrastructure through P3s. Although the state is involved in a P3 at the Port of Baltimore, Brown said the state overall is doing less than 1 percent of its infrastructure projects through these types of partnerships. "Florida, Virginia, Puerto Rico and a long list of other states and countries have successfully used public-private partnerships to address their infrastructure needs, and even in Maryland we have successfully done it at the port," Brown said. But, he added that the state currently is not able to use P3s for the numerous infrastructure needs of the state. Legislation that would have given the state a P3 framework did not pass during this year's legislative session, but Brown will push for it during the next session.

Virginia County benefits from P3 for park restoration project

Prince William County (Pennsylvania) residents have seen the outcome of a public-private partnership that resulted in a $2 million stream restoration project in Locust Shade Park in the eastern area of the county. The project was a joint venture of the county and Angler Environmental. It is expected to result in $10 million to $12 million in restoration projects along more than 20 miles of streams in 10 county parks. The partnership is the first in the state and possibly the nation that will lead to restoration of streams and conservation of public land that will eventually mean a profit for the private company and the county. The project revolves around the Prince William Environmental Bank, which allows Angler to fund projects and the county in turn gives Angler the right to the land and the restoration work. Angler makes its money by selling credits to developers. Those credits satisfy state requirements that they make environmental improvements as a trade-off for any environmental impact their respective projects have on wetlands. Angler recoups its costs and then shares overage with the county - half to the county and half to Angler. Officials say both the county and Angler will eventually net $800,000 each for Locust Shade Park. That figure is expected to increase to $3.5 million each when the stream restoration projects are completed throughout the county.

Ohio

• The Ohio Department of Administrative Services is seeking bids for a contractor to provide administrative storage and delivery services related to federally donated USDA commodity foods to be distributed for the Ohio Department of Education.
• The Ohio Department of Administrative Services on behalf of the Department of Job and Family Services is seeking innovative, flexible and interoperable solutions for design and development of an Integrated Eligibility system built upon service-oriented architecture (SOA).

North Dakota

• The North Dakota Department of Transportation is seeking requests for information from interested parties related to the availability of an off-the-shelf product that could provide employees with individual security utilizing GPS technology.
• The North Dakota Office of the Adjutant General is seeking proposals to provide the state and local government agencies with a robust, interactive, reliable, high-speed notification system that can send notifications to multiple groups.
• The North Dakota State Procurement Office is seeking bids for 200 standard folding wheelchairs.

New York

• The New York State Office of General Services is seeking bids for firearms, ammunition, handcuffs, batons and holsters for use by state agencies and authorized users. The previous awards were approximately $1.2 million annually for firearms, approximately $6.2 million annually for ammunition and an approximately combined total of $550,000 annually for handcuffs, batons and holsters.
• The New York State Division of Financial Administration is seeking bids for general services for real estate services to enhance staff resources managing the state's real estate portfolio. The contractor will partner with the state in lease negotiation and administration, portfolio and facility management, construction management, asset management, the sale of surplus property and other additional services.

Pennsylvania 

• The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare is seeking bids for partial roof replacement at the Norristown State Hospital including supplying all labor, materials, scaffolding, ladders, tools, equipment and appurtenances to remove an existing deteriorated spray polyurethane roofing system from the Forensic Unit, Building No. 51, and install a new Thermoplastic Polyolefin single-ply membrane roofing system over the existing roof deck.
• The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is seeking bids for cleaning out and plugging six abandoned and orphan oil/gas wells, estimated to be 2,200 feet in depth, to department specifications; to prepare and restore well sites; and to mobilize and demobilize plugging equipment.
• The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is seeking bids for services to design, install and implement a turnkey kiosk-like system that will provide the opportunity for institutionalized offenders to obtain a variety of offender services through a secure, offeror-hosted and managed kiosk system. Provision of secure MP3/media players that will be offered for sale to offenders is also included in this procurement.

Nevada

• The Nevada State Purchasing Division is seeking bids on behalf of Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation for vendors to offer bids for food service equipment to be delivered FOB Destination to Boulder City, Nevada.
• The State of Nevada Purchasing Division is seeking to establish contracts to procure police vehicles for the most current model years.

Dugan Petty (top left), Oregon's chief information officer and current president of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), has announced he will retire Nov. 2, after serving as state CIO since 2006. Georgia Lottery Corp. president and CEO Margaret DeFrancisco (top center) has announced her retirement, but will stay on until the Lottery Board chooses her replacement. Florida A&M University trustees have named Larry Robinson (top right), the university's provost, to serve as interim president while the university seeks a new president to replace James Ammons, who resigned. Dean Lee, director of athletics at Arkansas State University Jonesboro Campus has been named associate vice chancellor for university advancement, with Associate Athletic Director Doug Abel to serve in the interim until a new athletic director is chosen. Michael "Mitch" Mitchell, who has served less than 18 months as city manager of New Buffalo, Michigan, has resigned, effective Aug. 10, the day after his resignation was submitted. Prince George's County in Maryland has named Alvin Crawley, deputy chief of programming for the District of Columbia special education office, as their district's schools chief, replacing William R. Hite Jr., who is leaving to become superintendent of the Philadelphia school system. Mark Lesko (middle right), town supervisor for the Town of Brookhaven, New York, has announced he will resign to become executive director of Accelerate Long Island, a nonprofit he helped launch. John M. Collins (middle center), who has led the Michigan State Police forensic crimes division for the last two years, has announced he is resigning Aug. 23 to work with RTI International, a forensic consulting group based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Kathleen Lee (middle left) interim chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College-Central Indiana after serving the college since 1985 and most recently as vice chancellor of academic affairs, has been named chancellor, replacing Dr. B. Kaye Walter. Marcie Schatz, director of the city of Naperville, Illinois' Transportation, Engineering and Development Business Group, has been named Naperville's new deputy city manager, replacing former Assistant City Manager Robert Marshall, who became Naperville's police chief in May. Doug Beaird, a major in the Burlintgon (Iowa) Police Department and 24-year veteran, has been named the city's new police chief, replacing Dan Luttenegger, who retired in June. Cynthia Herrera Lindstrom, director of the Academic Computing and Communications Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has been selected as chief information officer and executive director of the Academic Computing and Communications Center at the university. Marty Brown (bottom left), Washington State Gov. Chris Gregoire's budget director and a state employee since 1978, is leaving to become executive director of the state's 34-campus community- and technical-college system, replacing the retiring Charlie Earl. Marsha Krotseng (bottom center), vice chancellor for strategic planning and executive director of the College Technical Education Council, North Dakota University and a member of the university staff since 2007, has been named president of Bluefield State College. Troy Lane (bottom center), chief of police at the University of Wyoming and veteran of 16 years in campus law enforcement, has been named the chief of police for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Police Department. Jerome Webster, vice president for student and administrative affairs at Terra State Community College in Ohio, has been chosen as the next president of the university, replacing President Dr. Marsha S. Bordner, who retired. Altoona (Pennsylvania) Area Assistant Superintendent Norman Miller, who has also served the district as teacher, principal, curriculum director and assistant superintendent for secondary education, has been hired as an assistant superintendent for the Central Dauphin School District. Elizabeth Grace Chesney, Baltimore County Public Schools executive director of research, accountability and assessment, was name Howard County schools chief accountability officer.