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Volume 4, Issue 21September 5, 2012
As park budgets face cuts, many turning to P3s

Mary Scott NabersAs mayors and city council members approve new budgets that are reduced significantly for the coming year, department directors are finding new and innovative ways to provide services. It is hard to reduce public safety funding and it is difficult to justify cuts in emergency services and street repairs. Retirement benefits are contractual, so most of them cannot be altered.

 

Parks and recreation departments, however, seem to be an easy target for funding cuts. Many park directors are embracing public-private partnerships. Here are some interesting occurrences.

  • At the 16th annual Lake Tahoe Summit, officials discussed the role of public-private partnerships (P3s) and the use of P3s to restore the Lake Tahoe area.

[more] 

 

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IN THIS ISSUE
Massachusetts transit board to expand
Portland to vote on contracting issue
Upcoming education opportunities
Other contracting opportunities
Who's winning government contracts?
News about P3s
Odds & ends
Where are they now?
Opportunity of the week
People
Calendar of events
Strategic Partnerships, Inc. provides opportunity identification for all 50 states. Click here for more information.

Massachusetts to expand State Transportation Board

 

Current members released; $1B commuter rail issue to be first task of new board

Deval Patrick
Deval Patrick

Here today... Gone tomorrow... Back the next day? Gov. Deval Patrick and Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Richard Davey aren't ruling out reappointment of some members of the state transportation board. But after all were released from their posts by the governor by letter on Aug. 23, odds are the chances of any being reappointed are slim.

 

Patrick released all five members of the board responsible for oversight of the state's highways and public transportation, but invited them to reapply if they were interested in a seat on a much larger board approved by members of the legislature.

 

Richard Davey
Richard Davey

The reorganization of the board was hastened by the fact that only two companies said they would bid on the state's more than $1 billion commuter rail system. There were allegations that some would-be bidders were reluctant to get into the bidding process because they felt one company had an inside edge. That led to reorganization to expand the board to seven members, adding the secretary of transportation as an ex officio member. Davey said the changing of the guard was intended to put more expertise on the board and to streamline the process.

 

The main issue the board will take up will be the continued issue of the commuter rail system. The service that 70,000 commuters use daily, has been run by the same company since 2003, and has been plagued by delays and breakdowns. Some say that because Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail has been given financial rewards regardless of the service, there is little reason for the company to improve its service.

 

While officials had hoped for a handful of bidders, only Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail and a subsidiary of a French company committed to bid.

 

Some have urged switching management when the current contract expires. That decision will be up to the new board, which is expected to be appointed before the Transportation Board meets Sept. 12.

 

Portland to vote on agreement for minority contractors

 

Officials looking for way to be more inclusive in city's contract opportunities

Jim Francesconi
Jim Francesconi

After a 2011 study showed minority- and women-owned businesses garnered only $16 million of the $660 million in city construction contracts between July 2004 and July 2009, the Portland City Council is looking for ways to improve that statistic. 

 

The Council is expected to vote today, Wednesday, on a new agreement that would ensure more city contracts will go to minority- and women-owned contractors. The agreement also would set standards for working conditions and wages and benefits while enhancing workforce training, employment and opportunities for contracting. It will apply to contractors, unions and community representatives who work on large public works projects. 

 

Former Portland City Commissioner Jim Francesconi, who organized the effort that led to the proposed agreement, called the agreement "a great public works strategy" that will ensure good paying jobs for minorities and women. If it passes, the agreement will apply to two large upcoming contracting opportunities - work on the Kelly Butte Reservoir and the city's Interstate Maintenance Facility renovation.

 

Collaboration Nation

Upcoming education opportunities

 

Indiana University to issue RFP for leasing of parking

Neil Theobald
Neil Theobald

Indiana University is expected to issue an RFP soon for a long-term lease of parking spaces that could last 30-50 years. IU Chief Financial Officer Neil Theobald said the parking spaces are on the Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses and the university is "monitoring different options." IU will be following actions of The Ohio State University, which earlier this year became the first higher education institution to lease parking. Ohio State gave up 36,000 parking spaces and $30 million in annual revenue to two firms for 50 years in exchange for a payment upfront of $483 million. Theobald said IU's long-term lease could mean hundreds of millions of dollars for the university. The university has some 25,000 spaces that last fiscal year brought in $17.1 million. Theobald said the extra money from the lease could be used for student financial aid, go toward hiring professors and paying their salaries and go toward projects in the university's master plan.

 

University's capital budget plan includes dorm, avenue development

The University Of Wisconsin Board of Regents has added construction of a new dorm and an avenue redevelopment project to the capital budget for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The request will now go to the state Department of Administration for inclusion in the state budget. Both projects are part of the university's 20-year facilities master plan. The residence hall would be a four-story, 350-bed, semi-suite-style, 151,000-square-foot building. It will include a mix of four-person, single-room suites and four-person, double-room suites, sharing a bath. The project may also include underground parking. The facility will be funded through room rental rates. The redevelopment project would convert Garfield Avenue into a mall area for pedestrians and bikers. It will also have access for emergency and service vehicles. The road surface will be replaced, curb and gutter added, along with sidewalks, lighting and utilities. It will include improvements for pedestrian and bicycle safety and access for persons with disabilities. The Garfield Avenue project will also include new bike parking, plazas and landscaping. An outdoor classroom also is expected to be added. The project will be funded with general purpose revenue, program revenue and foundation gifts.

  

Oklahoma district OK's bond election for renovation project

Voters in the Texhoma, Oklahoma, school district recently passed a bond election for a 12-year series of bonds. The bond vote totaled $4.7 million and most of the bond proceeds will be used for renovations at the high school.

 

Kent State officials lay out plans for $170 million in campus construction

Lester Lefton
Lester Lefton

A preview of millions of dollars' worth of construction projects planned over the next several years were laid out for Kent State students and staff at a recent open house. University officials say $170 million in projects are expected in the next three to four years. Kent State President Lester Lefton said the university is in the throes of a "transformation" that would change the university and the community for the next century. The school's trustees approved the issue of $170 million in bonds for the renovations in March, but details were not made available then. Trustees will discuss and vote on a more detailed plan later this month. One of the projects on tap is a $40 million new technology center planned for the College of Architecture and Environmental Design. The center will house the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology. In addition to the new technology building, another 50,000 square feet of technology space will be added to campus. Other projects include new roofs, new windows, lighting and HVAC projects on numerous other buildings on campus. Energy efficiency projects are also on tap.

 

Nov. 2012 Tx Bond Election

Other upcoming contracting opportunities

 

Funding approved for last part of Kansas statehouse renovation

Sam Brownback
Sam Brownback

Legislators in Kansas recently approved funding expected to allow financing of a $332 million statehouse renovation and construction of a new visitor center. Legislators approved $5.4 million in bonds for the visitor center. Another $7 million in funding from the Department of Transportation would be used to fund projects on the grounds. The funds will help finish renovations that began in 2001 and resulted in upgrades to statehouse offices, meeting rooms and mechanical systems. Many were restored to their original 19th Century authenticity. The number of visitors to the capitol is down from 60,000 to the current 36,000 per year after construction work ended tours of the dome. "It's just time to wrap it up," said Gov. Sam Brownback of the project. While bonds have been used for much of the renovation, legislators were not keen on issuing more. They were hoping for more private funds to help pay for the visitor center. That center will include an auditorium and classroom space for school groups, a dining area and public restrooms. Department of Transportation funding will be used for landscaping to replant grass that was uprooted by construction and to repair roads around the building. Original estimates for the projects was between $90 million and $120 million, but the addition of a parking garage underground and expansion of the basement to facilitate new offices added to that price.

 

North Dakota voters to decide fate of civic center expansion

A November election is set in Bismark, North Dakota, for voters to decide the fate of a proposed $90 million Bismark Civic Center expansion. The expansion would be funded by a voter-approved 1.5 percent motel, liquor and restaurant tax and a 1 percent lodging tax. The expansion is needed, officials say, to help bring in more convention business. The current facility includes a large arena that can host approximately 10,000 people for events, and has a separate exhibit hall. Chamber officials note that other area cities are building or proposing building of multi-million-dollar arenas and expansions, and Bismark must expand its center to be able to compete with them.

 

Florida city garners funding to improve wastewater system

Funding totalling $5.246 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Water and Waste Disposal program will help the city of Perry, Florida, finance and improve its wastewater treatment facility. One of the city's two treatment plants is more than 30 years old. The other does not have a grit removal system and other system parts are old and in need of repair.

 

Rail spur project in Illinois city about to go out for bids

Ron Neibert
Ron Neibert

Funded by a $1.1 million grant, a rail spur project in Mount Vernon, Illinois, will begin. City Manager Ron Neibert said city officials are awaiting an OK from the city council so that bids on the project can be sought. "We're hoping to expedite the process as much as possible so when everything is ready we can get started during this construction season," said Neibert. The project must be cleared by the state, which will allow the project to begin. The project is completely funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation Rail Freight program. The program offers assistance for capital expenditures to communities, railroads and shippers to help improve, and in some cases preserve, rail freight service across the state. The program links interested parties and provides government funding to projects that will positively affect the local and state economies. The proposed spur will connect the Union Pacific railway and run north to the Continental Tires the Americas plant.

 

Illinois village to sell $25M in bonds for capital improvement projects

A Lake Michigan water line acquisition is part of the initial $17 million of a total of $25 million in general obligation bonds being sold by the village of Homer Glen, Illinois. The $17 million figure is lower than the original $25 million sought. The village has identified some $24 million in capital improvement projects. Some $9 million of that would be used to pay for the village's portion of a takeover of the American Lake Water transmission line that supplies water to the village from Lake Michigan. Another $2.6 million is being earmarked for traffic signals, multi-use paths, lighting and landscaped median for a street widening project. Village officials are also looking at $6.5 million in amenities in subdivisions in the village and $6.1 million for a sanitary and sewer line. Officials are hopeful taking over the water line can curb continued water prices to consumers. Officials say now is the time to sell the bonds because of low interest rates and the village's AA bond rating. The bonds will be paid off through the village's 1 percent home-rule sales tax.

  

Raton's airport runway to be extended with federal grant funds

The runway at the airport in Raton, New Mexico, will be extended thanks to a federal grant. The grant funds of $3,039, 350 will be used to create a longer runway to facilitate landing of larger and heavier planes. The U.S. Department of Transportation funds are expected to help the airport attract more planes, which in turn will positively affect the local economy.

 

North Carolina city's airport planning $160 million runway project

Jerry Orr
Jerry Orr

A $160 million project at the Charlotte Douglass International Airport in North Carolina will result in a new 12,000-foot runway. It will be the fifth runway for the airport, according to Aviation Director Jerry Orr, who said the new runway will mean less noise for residents currently in some airport flight paths. Because nonstop departures have to carry more fuel, those planes need runways that are longer than the airport's existing ones. Thus, the new runway will allow for more nonstop departures into Europe or the Pacific rim. Environmental studies on the project are expected to begin next year, with construction anticipated by 2014. Other future expansion plans, according to Orr, are building a new international concourse on the surface parking lots for rental cars. Orr said a small portion of that new international concourse would be built and used for domestic flights. Four new satellite gates would be connected by a new walkway to the main terminal. Orr also noted that a new food court is planned for concourses D and E and a 15-gate expansion of Concourse E or a new 11-gate expansion of Concourse B is also in the future.

 

Headlines from around the nation

 

California to require use tax from out-of-state sellers

 

GSA awards $2.5B cloud contracts to 17 companies 

 

(To view these stories, click here and look under "Around the Nation.")

 

Who's winning government contracts?

 

Check out these recent awards:

  • Mountaineer Contractors Inc. has been awarded a $27.4 million contract by the state of West Virginia for the construction of an intermodal facility that will be part of the Heartland Corridor. The rail-truck facility will be located in Prichard, Wayne County.
  • Lockheed Martin Corporation has been awarded a firm, fixed-price contract worth $65 million by the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps. It is an ongoing contract with a 27-month performance period for developing the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle via the Engineering and Manufacturing Development stage. 

  • Harris Corporation has been awarded a $46 million contract to provide enterprise IT support services for the North American Air Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, primarily located at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. The total contract value includes one base year and three one-year options.

  • Bismark Construction Company, Inc. has been awarded a $10.8 million contract by the Milford, Connecticut, Permanent Schools Facilities Building Committee for the first phase of construction at East Shore Middle School.

  • Eaton Corporation has won a $2.2M contract from the US Bureau of Reclamation to replace critical electrical components at the Trinity, Judge Francis Carr and Spring Creek hydroelectric power plants in Shasta County, California.

  • Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has received a new $7.1 million contract award to develop Black Hawk helicopter maintenance training systems. Kratos will provide multiple full-fidelity Black Hawk Avionics Trainers for the M model of the UH-60 to support maintenance training for this key U.S. Army Aviation platform.

  • Serco Inc. has been awarded a re-compete contract for the Parking Meter Coin Collection, Counting and Support Services Contract supporting the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. The contract has a five-year base period and is valued at $43 million. Serco will provide parking meter operation support services for meter management systems and infrastructure, and the daily collection and reconciliation of parking meters

  • H2H Associates has been awarded a $3.3 million contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to install a landfill cap and cover at the former Schenectady Army Depot in the town of Guilderland.

  • Tetra Tech, Inc. has been awarded two contracts to support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in its efforts to reduce emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas and potential source of clean energy. The first is a five-year, $22 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to provide technical and outreach support services for EPA's Natural Gas STAR program. The second is a five-year, $10 million blanket purchase agreement to support EPA's agricultural methane reduction programs, which aim to reduce emissions from livestock and agro-industrial wastes domestically and internationally by promoting the use of anaerobic digestion systems.

  • TechWorx, LLC has been awarded a $3.5 million contract by US Army Armaments, Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey to provide advanced engineering and manufacturing services.  The contract will support the development of a next generation Picatinny Optical Detection System (PODS).

  • FuelCell Energy has been awarded a $3.8 million contract by the U.S. Navy to research a new propulsion system for an unmanned, undersea vehicle.

  • McCauley Constructors has been awarded a $1.9 million contract by the city of Windsor, Colorado, to build three neighborhood parks - Bison Ridge, Poudre Heights and Brunner Farm.

Public-Private Partnerships

News about public-private partnerships (P3)

 

Kentucky business coalition seeking state P3 legislation

Proposed construction of a new Brent Spence Bridge is leading business leaders to push for legislation that would allow a public-private partnership to help come up with funding for the proposed $2.5 billion project. Lobbyists have been hired to try to sway lawmakers' opinions on the issue. The proposed P3 would include a tolling mechanism to help recoup costs of the project. The state owns the bridge and many of the state's lawmakers have an aversion to tolls. The group is called Build Our New Bridge Now and the lobbyists are preparing for the upcoming legislative session, which is only four months away. The governor and some other top state leaders favor tolls as a method of paying for the bridge project. On the Ohio side of the bridge, Gov. John Kasich has said he favors P3s and tolls for the bridge project. The coalition has raised more than $1 million toward its lobbying, public relations and marketing strategy. Officials are shooing for a construction start date of 2015, with completion expected by 2022. However, officials state that using a public-private partnership for the project would cut the completion date to 2019, while saving $300 million.

  

Ohio using public-private partnership method for construction of new bridge

John Kasich
John Kasich

Officials in Ohio are using a new public-private partnership to pay for a second Innerbelt Bridge in Cleveland. Gov. John Kasich said the project marks the first time in the history of the state that this type public-private partnership has been deployed. "This has never happened before," he said. This P3 agreement includes the use of private sector dollars now so the bridge project can get under way. When the project is completed, the state will reimburse the builder, with interest. Kasich said he does not see any problems going forward with the project, as both the builder and the state Department of Transportation tested the market. He said the bridge construction is a "safe project" financially. While 30 other states have used this method for funding much-needed projects, this is the first time this funding mechanism has been used in Ohio. The project calls for deferring payment until 2016 when other funding sources are available for highway projects. State officials feared they would not be able to construct the bridge because of lack of funds. Businesses that depend on the traffic the bridge brings them are supportive of the P3 arrangement that was a result of bipartisan efforts in the statehouse.

 

Contracting Opportunities

Odds & ends

 

Arkansas

  • The Arkansas Department of Park and Tourism is seeking bids to provide a term contract for the printing of the Arkansas State Parks Guide Booklet.
  • The Arkansas Department of Information Systems is seeking bids to obtain pricing and a contract to be used by state agencies and affiliates for purchase of telephone instruments and accessories.

Iowa

  • The University of Northern Iowa is seeking proposals for a search firm to assist in the recruitment of Assistant Vice President/Executive Director of Residence position.
  • Iowa State University Purchasing Department is seeking bids for an IP unified communications solution (approximately 11,000 lines of service) for Iowa State University of Science and Technology.

Massachusetts

  • The Massachusetts Department of Corrections is seeking bids from qualified vendors for pre-employment drug testing, pre-employment medical physicals, review of industrial accident cases, fitness for duty - medical review, Americans with Disabilities Act - ADA reasonable accommodation determinations.
  • The Massachusetts Department of Corrections is seeking bids for purchase of printers and supplies associated with photo ID systems, which are not currently available on statewide contract.

New Jersey

  • The State of New Jersey Office of Distribution and Support Services is seeking bid proposals from qualified vendors to provide Internet Web-based auction services for the purpose of selling state surplus property.
  • The New Jersey Division of Property Management and Construction is seeking proposals for all aspects of the management, operation and maintenance of the Asbury Park State Office Building and Parking Garage and the Freehold State Office Building.

Nevada

  • The State of Nevada Purchasing Division is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to provide repairs and installations of wiring, cabling and fiber to the agencies' communications infrastructure (WCCI) and /or telephone equipment repair and installation services statewide on an as-needed basis.
  • The Nevada State Purchasing Division is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to provide armed and unarmed security guard services, patrol and random marked vehicle stops as needed for various agencies throughout the State of Nevada. The University and Community College System, the Court System, the Legislative Counsel Bureau and Political Subdivisions (i.e., cities, counties, school district, etc.) may use the contract(s) resulting from this RFP; however, they are not required to do so.
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 Dr. Jamillah Moore.
 
Jamillah Moore
Jamillah Moore

Dr. Jamillah Moore earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from California State University, Sacramento, and her doctorate from the University of San Francisco. Her career in advocacy began as a California State Senate fellow in public policy for Sen. Teresa P. Hughes. She was appointed as a senior consultant for the California Senate Select Committee on College and University Admissions and Outreach in 1996. She followed that engagement by working for the Los Angeles County Office of Education as the director of governmental relations. She was named senior vice chancellor for governmental and external relations of the System Office of the California Community Colleges in 2004. She was officially appointed to that position by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2005, Moore led a state recovery team for a year as the interim president of Compton Community College. In that charge, she worked with the Congress and college officials to establish the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy Program at Compton, the first of its kind. She went on to later become president of Los Angeles City College. She also often returned to the classroom as an adjunct professor in the Communication Studies and Multicultural Education Departments at California State University, Sacramento. Moore was recently chosen after a nationwide search as the chancellor of the Ventura County Community College District.

 

Did you miss TGI?

Opportunity of the week...
 

Seven communities in Arizona will share $3.4 million in federal grant funding for infrastructure improvements. The projects include signage, pedestrian trails, road construction and improvement and flood mitigation projects, to name a few. Want to know more? Contact our Sales Team at 512-531-3900 or sales@spartnerships.com.

 

People

 

Bill ZeleiMike GregoPatrick JoyceBill Zelei (top left), head of the Ohio Department of Education and a former superintendent and school business manager, has resigned in the wake of an investigation into whether the state's school manipulated student attendance data. Mike Grego (top middle), a veteran of nearly three decades in Hillsborough County schools and former superintendent in Osceola Country, has been named superintendent of the Pinellas County (Florida) schools. Patrick Joyce (top right), owner and president of his own construction company and a member of the Carteret County Board of Commissioners, has been named to a two-year term on the North Carolina State Ports Authority Board of Directors. The two top jobs overseeing planning and real estate development operations for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority have been filled by Shyam Kannan, formerly with a real estate advisory firm, and Stanley Wall, a developer and real estate consultant who started his own firm in 2006. The California High-Speed Rail Authority has named new executives: Dennis Trujillo, chief deputy director, who was Deputy Secretary of External Affairs at the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency; Jon Tapping, risk manager, former Project Risk Management Coordinator for the $6.3 billion seismic retrofit of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Project; and Wendy Boykins, chief administrative officer, a United States Air Force veteran and Michael Williams Edmond Heatley Ray Timothy former state agency employee. Former Texas Railroad Commission Chair and former U.S. Secretary of Education for Civil Rights, Michael Williams (middle right), has been appointed Education Commissioner for the state of Texas. Berkeley (California) Unified School District will name Edmond Heatley (middle center), superintendent and chief executive officer of Clayton County (Georgia) Public Schools as its new superintendent, pending agreement on his contract. Park City (Utah) School District Superintendent Ray Timothy (middle left) has been named the new chief executive officer and executive director of the Utah Education Network, the only public TV licensee to receive a federal broadband grant and to join the national US Ignite project to develop broadband apps. Former state budget director John Gasparich will serve as the new interim CEO of the New Mexico Finance Authority, a post he will hold for six months. Timothy Costa, executive deputy secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare, will join the firm of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney as part of the firm's Government Relations Practice. Michael Scott Delello, who served in the Energy Department under President George H.W. Bush as a congressional liaison on clean air issues and the national laboratories, will be the new deputy cabinet secretary of the Grayling TobiasJianping Wang Anthony Batts New Mexico art agency. Dr. Grayling Tobias (bottom left), former superintendent in the Middletown City Schools in  Ohio, will serve as the interim superintendent of the Hazelwood (Missouri) School District. Jianping Wang (bottom center), former division dean of arts and humanities and former associate dean of academic affairs at Westchester Community College in Valahalla, New York, has been named the new vice president of academic affairs for the Ocean County College in Toms River, New Jersey. Former Oakland, California, Police Chief Anthony Batts (bottom right), who spent nearly three decades with the Long Beach, California, Police Department, including a stint as chief, has been named Baltimore's next police commissioner. Ted Spring, president of New River Community and Technical College in Summersville, West Virginia, is the new president of Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, North Carolina. Melinda Brittain of Arlington, Texas, who currently serves as city manager for Dow Worthington Gardens, has been selected to be the new city manager in Overton, Texas. Kevin VanMeter, a 22-year veteran of the Aberdeen, South Dakota, Fire and Rescue and current battalion chief, has been named the city's new fire chief.

 

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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 Government Contracting 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

 

NASEO 2012 Annual Meeting slated to start Sunday

The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) will hold its 2012 Annual Meeting on Sunday, Sept. 9, through Wednesday, Sept. 12, at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis. This year's theme is "States Partnering with America's Leading Companies to Advance Energy and Economic Opportunities." The 56 State and Territory Energy Offices and their more than 2,000 staff are working with leading companies across the nation to open opportunities for the private sector to advance energy technologies and expand markets. Among the highlights of the meeting will be a host of speakers, including: Dan Reicher, Executive Director of Stanford University's Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy Finance and the former Director of Google's Climate Change and Energy Initiatives; Michael Aimone, Director of Business Enterprise Integration, Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense, Installations and Environment, U.S. Department of Defense, on the military's new energy initiative; and Steven Schultz, Corporate Energy Manager, 3M, on sustainable energy management tools. For more information and to register, click here. 

 

Facility planners group hosts 2012 World Conference event

The Council of Educational Facility Planners International will host the 2012 World Conference on Educational Environments on Sept. 22-24 in San Antonio. The event will be a gathering of educational facility planners, architects, designers, educators and suppliers in the K-12 school facility industry. Keynote speakers will be Jason Ryan Dorsey, the Gen Y Guy, speaking on "Crossing the Generational Divide" and Jamie Vollmer, president of Vollmer, Inc., a public education advocacy firm working to increase student success by raising public support for America's schools. The event will feature breakout sessions and numerous opportunities for networking. For more information and to register, click here.

 

NASPO annual conference to feature new ideas, successes in procurements

The National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) 2012 Annual Conference opens Sunday at the Louisville Marriott Downtown in Louisville, Kentucky. The conferences provides attendees an opportunity to learn about new ideas and successes in procurement from the NASPO network of state government peers. The conference also features the annual business meeting, board elections and more. The conference will feature an optional three-hour professional development training. General sessions will feature discussion of outsourcing of government functions, an eMarket Center demonstration, best practices in IT services procurement and more. To view the agenda, click here. To register, click here 

 

National Emergency Management Group plans October forum

The National Emergency Management Association Management Policy and Leadership Forum is scheduled for Oct. 5-9 at the Grand Hyatt Seattle in Seattle, Washington. In addition to officer, task force and committee meetings, the event will also feature a workshop on Social Media and on Expanding the Reach of Cross Border Mutual Aid and Leadership Development: What the Public Sector Can Learn from Business. Special guest speaker will be Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. For more information and to register, click here. 

 

Transportation group to hold annual meeting in Seattle

The American Public Transportation Association's Annual Meeting will be held Sept. 30-Oct. 3 at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington. Guest speaker will be Alan S. Boyd, first secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, Seattle. Others featured at the event will include Gary C. Thomas, 2011-12 chair, APTA, and president/executive director, Dallas Area Rapid Transit; Flora M. Castillo, CHIE, 2012-13 chair, APTA, and board member, New Jersey Transit Corporation; and Administrator Peter Rogoff, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC. To view the session agendas, click here. To register, click here. 

 

NASCIO planning annual conference in October

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) is planning its 2012 Annual Conference for Oct. 21-24 in San Diego. The event will be at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Registration has opened and early bird rates will apply through Sept. 5. Among the events for state government members are a public sector leadership forum and a networking lunch. The State IT Recognition Awards will be presented on Monday, Oct. 22. The State Technology Innovator Award will be presented at a Tuesday, Oct. 23, luncheon. To view the agenda, click here. To register, click here.

 

Executive Women in Texas Government plans November conference

The Executive Women in Texas Government will sponsor its 2012 Annual Professional Development Conference on Monday, Nov. 5, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will be held at the Embassy Suites San Marcos Hotel-Spa and Conference Center located at 1001 East McCarty Lane, San Marcos, TX 78666. This full-day event features prominent keynote speakers as well as more than 35 workshops to provide participants with opportunities for hands-on learning and development of leadership skills for multiple career levels. The conference is open to all interested professionals and is designed for those working in government and for organizations that collaborate with government agencies. Members and non-members are encouraged to view the EWTG Web site for conference details.

 

National Association of Social Workers plans annual state conference

More than 1,000 social worker are expected for the upcoming 2012 National Association of Social Workers/Texas 36th Annual State Conference. The event is set for Friday, Sept. 7, through Sunday, Sept. 9, at the Westin Galleria in Houston. Among the speakers for the event are Gary Bailey, MSW, ACSWand his perspective on "The Social Work Story" and Vicki Hansen, LMSW-AP, ACSW, will discuss "What Social Workers Want" in the context of NASW's Social Work Reinvestment Initiative. Those attending will be able to expand their skills through targeted training, tracks representing a variety of practice areas including ethics. Supervision credits and licensing review courses for the LBSW and LMSW exams will also be available and exhibits will be open. For more information and to register, click here.

 

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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:
 
SPI LogoStrategic Partnerships, Inc.
Mary Scott Nabers, President
Ph: 512.531.3900

 

For information about SPI's products and services: sales@spartnerships.com  
 
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