Volume 9, Issue 10 - March 8, 2017
Ensuring safety on college campuses - becoming more difficult each day
Mary Scott Nabers, President/CEO, Strategic Partnerships, Inc.
Safety on college campuses has never been easy or simple. Now, the responsibility is truly awesome. 

In the last few years, there have been dozens of horrific incidents and now that a number of states allow guns on campus, the job of providing safety on college campuses has become increasingly more difficult and complicated. 

 Most universities have focused on incident prevention and quick response. Many have gone through extensive planning sessions to find ways to ensure safety, but it would be hard to find a university official anywhere who feels confident that security and safety are under control. Perhaps the greatest impediment to ensuring a safe campus environment is a lack of adequate funding. 

In spite of funding issues, physical security has definitely been improved. Most new buildings have access systems that provide officers the ability to centrally lock down facilities if there is an active shooter incident. Surveillance camera technology also continually searches for abnormal activities that could pose a threat. Other emerging technologies have also made inroads on college campuses.
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In February the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released new data showing that Americans are driving more than ever before. In 2016, drivers in cars, trucks, minivans and SUVs put a record 3.22 trillion miles on the nation's roads, up 2.8 percent from 3.1 trillion miles in 2015. 

The data also shows that it's the fifth consecutive year of increased miles driven on roads and highways which underscores the demands facing American's roads and bridges and reaffirms calls for greater investment in surface transportation infrastructure.  

It also means drivers are more aware of the roads they travel each day. There is the road that must be avoided at certain times of the day due to high traffic congestion. We all have our special back-road shortcuts, which have become few and far between these days, that we take when traffic is at a standstill. Before the internet and mobile phones, we relied only on television, newspapers, radios, traffic helicopters and even CB radios to warn us of construction, accidents and congestion on the roads. If your car broke down, you thumbed a ride or walked to the nearest pay phone, unless the road had one of those convenient, emergency call box phones on the roadway.

These sources are still very reliable, but once mobile devices and the internet came into existence, the updates became instantaneous as we refreshed our web browsers. The department of transportation in most states seems to have taken notice to this resource and partnered with other businesses to get their websites up-to-date.

Upcoming contracting opportunities

Michigan- The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will test the cost-effectiveness of building longer lasting roads through pilot projects. Currently, most Michigan freeways are built to last 20 years, but in the pilot projects, roads that are expected to last 30 and 50 years respectively will be built in Genesee and Kent counties. The pilot projects will be put out to bid like any other road construction projects. However, the costs for the pilot projects are expected to be higher. MDOT estimates that a 30-year road may cost 50 to 100 percent more and a 50-year road might cost 85 to 150 percent more. 

Urban roads are expected to cost more than rural roads because there are more issues such as complex drainage and avoiding utility lines. The typical 20-year roads have 24 inches of sand and gravel to resist frost. The 30-year road will have at least 36 inches, resulting in a higher cost. The longer lasting roads will also have improved drainage in addition to better frost resistance. Two pilot projects will be built from asphalt and two will be built from concrete and each project will be intensely monitored to study cost effectiveness. The pilot projects come from a $1.2 billion road funding deal which required MDOT to consider longer lasting roads. The deal is funded by increases in gasoline taxes and vehicle registration fees.
Connecticut- The state of Connecticut hired two consulting firms to develop a vision for the redevelopment of Hartford's Union Station around the reconstruction of I-84. The 100-acre redevelopment site is to the west of Union Station stretching to the corporate campus of The Hartford Financial Services. The reconstruction of I-84, projected to begin in the early or mid-2020s, will replace a 2-mile stretch of the highway through Hartford and is estimated to cost anywhere from $3 billion to $5 billion. 

The highway reconstruction will include relocating train tracks and will require a transit station to be built. The plan from the firms will also include new uses for Union Station and visions for commercial and residential development in the area. In addition, the plan will likely require the demolition of buildings, like the Capitol View apartments on Asylum Avenue.
Georgia- Georgia Power is planning to release a request for proposal next year on a plan that primarily focuses on solar energy, with some focus on wind and a potential for nuclear generation. The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) recently approved Georgia Power's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), a long-term resource plan for the state's largest utility that focuses on the addition of carbon-free resources. 

The largest portion of the IRP is focused on increasing the utility's Renewable Energy Development Initiative (REDI) to utilize 1,200 MW of renewables, comprised of 150 MW of distributed generation and 1,050 MW of utility-scale resources. A component of the plan is that wind cannot make up more than 300 MW of those resources. Georgia Power has also committed to constructing 200 MW of "self-build renewable capacity," which will include possible projects at Robins Air Force Base and Fort Benning. PSC has set guidelines that the projects must be at or below Georgia Power's avoided costs, and that at most 75 MW of this capacity will be used for nonmilitary projects.
New Jersey- Gov. Chris Christie announced $400 million in funding to fix bad bridges, roads and to improve New Jersey transit infrastructure. According to the Governor, the money will be used to address deficiencies in bridges and roads across all 21 counties and will also expedite technology improvements and other infrastructure enhancements for New Jersey Transit. 

The intention is to allocate the $400 million in the next 100 days and commence road construction in that time period. The $400 million is believed to be coming from the fiscal year (FY) 2017 budget. The proposed FY 2018 budget sets aside $1.3 billion for road and bridge projects and $677 million for mass transit projects.
New York- Nassau County has released a new request for proposal (RFP) which solicits a two-year contract for a jail's inmate health care contract. The current vendor's contract expires May 31 with the correctional facility in East Meadow. 

The RFP states that only New York state-licensed hospitals or any affiliate or subsidiary may provide medical care for inmates at the jail. The RFP gives potential bidders a deadline of April 3 with the bid being awarded by April 21. This new RFP was issued following controversy over inmate deaths and several other allegations of negligent inmate care.
Kansas- The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City recently sent out a solicitation requesting development firms to submit their ideas for a convention center and a 225-room hotel at Village West in Kansas City. The convention center would be comprised of between 30,000 and 50,000 square feet of meeting space. 

Responses to the solicitation are due by March 16. This project has been in the works for a long time, as area leaders think that this meeting space and hotel will be well-received due to the current and anticipated boom of development around the Village West area. Significantly smaller than other convention centers in the state, the proposed Village West convention center will target smaller crowds.
Alabama- High bids on the final phase of the I-20/59 bridge replacement project in Birmingham have caused a release for rebid. The third phase is ready for completion on this $750 million plan which started in 2015. The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) has estimated a budget of $292 million. Contractors will be requested to supplement their bids with possible construction methodologies and sequencing strategies that could help quicken the project's completion, and lessen the amount of time redirecting traffic. 

Currently, the I-20/59 bridges handle approximately 160,000 vehicles daily, which is twice the amount that the highway was originally designed for. ALDOT has set a March 31 deadline for the new bids, and an early April deadline to select a contractor. The bridge replacement work could begin as early as 2018.
Indiana- Mayor Joe Hogsett's has proposed a new jail, courthouse and intervention center in Indianapolis that will cost between $565 million and $575 million. City officials announced on Jan. 31 that the Marion County Community Justice Campus will be located at the site of the former Citizens Energy coke plant. The facility will include a health center as well as an arrestee processing and engagement section which would make up $365 million of the total cost. 

The plan also calls for the construction of a new building to hold the county's criminal, civil and juvenile courts which will contribute $195 million of the cost. Courts are set to decide by May 1 the scope of participation, which will impact project costs. City officials have not yet indicated how much Hogsett's proposal with interest and financing would eventually cost the city. However, officials have estimated that the city has $35 million annually allocated for the next 30 years to pay for the development and construction of the campus. There is a design, engineering and architecture firm serving as the city's consultant on the project.
Pennsylvania- Pennsylvania's Act 89 transportation plan will grant municipalities roughly $466.2 million in liquid fuel payments for local road and bridge maintenance projects. These annual funds help pay for maintenance activities such as road repaving and snow removal. 

There are 72,856 miles of municipality roadways that have been deemed eligible for the program. The funds available from Act 89 increased 5 percent from 2015. The complete listing of payments is available here.
News about public-private partnerships (P3s)

Wisconsin- A public-private partnership could help land a government contract at Madison's Truax Field in Wisconsin, one of five National Guard bases in the running to house a fleet of F35s. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said the state will match the $100,000 offered by the governor of Idaho to bring about a jet contract. Truax Field is one of five National Guard bases in the running to house the F-35s, with two bases eventually being selected. 

Wisconsin is competing against Dannelly Field, Montgomery, Ala.; Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho; Jacksonville Air National Guard Base in Florida; and Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Detroit. Walker has also released that he spoke with the secretary of the Air Force and other top military officials to highlight Wisconsin's proximity to restricted air space and the 128th Air Refueling Wing based at Mitchell Airport in Milwaukee, which would produce long-term cost savings for the program. The state government has indicated that it would be supportive of the public-private partnership to help funding, with a larger fundraising project approaching.
Nevada- Nevada officials have released that the first phase of the high-speed rail component of the multi-modal High Desert Corridor, connecting Victorville and Las Vegas, will be completed within five years. The project, which is expected to cut travel time and relieve congestion, will then be rolled out in phases, ending with plans for extension stops in Burbank in 2026, Los Angeles and Anaheim in 2029 and a planned extension to Palmdale is projected to be complete in 2023. 

A ridership forecast study found that that the rail line would generate more than $1 billion per year in operating revenue when fully phased by 2035, and would result in a growth from the current 11 million riders to 14 million by 2050. The next hurdle is to identify annual operating or construction costs. These costs will hopefully be fulfilled through a public-private partnership.
Nebraska- The Department of Veterans Affairs in Omaha could have a $136 million medical facility if a public-private partnership is accomplished. This plan includes building a 157,000-square-foot medical space next to the currently run-down veterans' hospital. 

The VA would provide an estimated $56 million and private donors would be requested to invest the remaining $80 million. The Omaha hospital currently serves over 160,000 veterans in the VA's Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System. Plans and funding for the project, however, are up in the air right now, with delays caused by a backlog of approved projects and VA infrastructure needs totaling $69 billion.
Pennsylvania- The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced plans to replace 20 bridges in Lancaster County in 2017 at an average cost of $1.59 million per bridge. This effort in Lancaster County is part of PennDOT's Rapid Bridge Replacement Project, which plans to replace 558 structurally deficient bridges between 2016 and 2019. 

In Lancaster County, three bridges were replaced in 2016 and 20 bridges are scheduled for replacement in 2017. Eight bridges still need to be replaced in 2018. After Act 89 became a law in 2013, the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project was launched and PennDOT was granted $898 million to award in bridge replacement contracts to a singular firm in a public-private partnership
California- Los Angeles (LA) Metro has recently received an unsolicited proposal to accelerate the process of converting the Orange Line bus rapid transit to a light rail line. LA Metro has already advanced four other unsolicited proposals to fast track two different projects funded by the Measure M ballot initiative. The proposal for the conversion of the Orange Line calls for a public-private partnership to facilitate the process. 

The P3 concept will be reviewed by LA Metro's Office of Extraordinary Innovation. The agency will decide after review whether to advance the proposal to the next phase of review, decline further review or proceed directly to a competitive solicitation. The conversion of the Orange Line has been long anticipated as ridership on the line has surpassed even the most ambitious projections from when it was opened in 2005.
Vermont- Vermont officials and lawmakers are interested in constructing a new 800-bed prison through bonds or partnership with a private company. This $140 million facility would serve as a replacement to aging state facilities. Under the model of a public-private partnership, the facility would be built and owned by a private company and leased for operation to the state. 

This plan will result in the out-of-state prison program being almost entirely shut down, as well as prisons in Windsor, Swanton and South Burlington being closed due to their high costs. Additionally, Vermont is considering being able to bring in about $3 million in revenue by leasing prison beds to the U.S. Marshals Service for federal inmates and detainees. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said that the state is considering the construction of a new facility with several financing possibilities available.
Calendar of Events 

June 18-20
The 2017 SelectUSA Investment Summit will be held June 18-20 at the Gaylord Hotel - National Harbor in Washington, D.C. The summit's theme "Grow with US" will highlight the
innovative business climate in the United States and feature investment opportunities from every corner of the country. Keynote speakers and panelists will lay out a clear roadmap of how businesses of any size, and any industry, can benefit and contribute to the U.S. economy. Register for the event here.
June 25-28
The Smart Cities Connect Conference and Expo will take place June 25-28 at the Austin Convention Center. This Internet of Things technology trade show will include hands-on workshops and smart technology demonstrations. Areas of focus include connected buildings, urban mobility, advanced networks, governance, infrastructure, energy, resiliency, technology and data and citizen life. Register for the event here.
About Government Contracting Pipeline

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Government Contracting Pipeline, a publication of Strategic Partnerships, Inc., is a free, weekly newsletter detailing important happenings nationwide and the premier source for federal, state and local government news and contracting opportunities.
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