Category: Mary Scott Nabers’ Insights

Microgrids are designed to harness renewable energy and make it available for all kinds of reasons. Often microgrids are used when disasters cause larger utility grids to falter or shut down completely. They also are used as backup power for hospital systems, school campuses, and other governmental entities. Microgrids are a critical component of the […]

Throughout the country, health-care facilities are receiving an abundance of attention, and large construction, renovation, and expansion projects are being announced weekly. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is partnering with The University of Texas Southwestern Dallas to oversee development of a new state hospital in North Texas. When completed, the new facility will […]

Public officials in Austin hope that the ongoing multi-billion-dollar transit authority project there will reduce automobile traffic by 50 percent when completed. Whether that goal is reachable or not is undetermined, but the project is indicative of a shift in public transit throughout the country. Mobility hub projects that connect citizens and neighborhoods to a […]

Cameras, video monitoring systems, and interoperability platforms are receiving more attention than ever because of public safety concerns. The immediate scramble to install more cameras and enhance video surveillance systems has never been greater. Billions will be spent on safety infrastructure over the next several months, and soon camera and video surveillance will have a […]

America’s airports are some of the country’s most powerful economic engines. They contribute more than $14 trillion in economic activity annually and support approximately 11.5 million jobs. Congress, after years of underfunding airport infrastructure projects, recently allocated billions of dollars for upgrades and modernization initiatives. State legislators approved millions more for airport projects, and numerous […]

Sustainability has become an extremely hot topic because of the billions of dollars in federal funding available for projects that will protect and extend America’s infrastructure. Congress and government leaders at every jurisdictional level of government realize that we must upgrade and enhance the country’s basic infrastructure assets. Many diverse federal programs have funding available […]

Rail projects are being launched in states throughout the country. Much of the funding requires a focus on projects that improve safety while also enhancing and/or upgrading rail infrastructure so the projects reflect that mandate. The much-needed rail project funding will allow public officials to reduce congestion, improve supply chain stability, and boost economic vitality. […]

Billions of dollars in public funding and tax enrichments are currently available to support the construction of affordable housing throughout the U.S. The impetus behind these incentives is the country’s affordable housing shortage which has reached near-crisis stage. A recent report notes that all 50 states have an inadequate supply of housing for low-income families. […]

Thousands of communities throughout the country owe their origins to a nearby waterway. The value of regional water resources has never been in dispute, and the coveted assets have never been underestimated. Now, there is a noticeable growing trend for community leaders to launch new initiatives designed to protect and enhance waterways because of their […]

Millions of motorists cross bridges daily, and every driver assumes that these bridges are safe. That safety, however, comes at an extremely high price – high enough to have prohibited hundreds of bridge maintenance projects over the past decade. With new funding, bridges throughout the country now are receiving attention that is long overdue. More […]

New federal infrastructure funding is beginning to reach local officials, and while the revenue will be spent in many ways, some commonalities are obvious. Many public officials will allocate the funding to refurbish roads or upgrade water systems. Others will use it for public transit or to expand airport facilities. Numerous plans have been announced […]

America’s shifting social, political, economic, and environmental conditions have created rapid change. Leaders in industry and government are scrambling to respond. Their immediate focus appears to be on worker shortages, increasing costs, supply chain disruptions, and public safety but those issues are only at the top of an issues iceberg that looms large. In 2021, […]

For entirely too many years, millions of U.S. citizens have struggled with little, if any, access to broadband. However, plans are evolving quickly now to resolve that problem. Congress has approved dozens of funding programs that allocate billions for broadband. State legislators throughout the U.S. also have allocated billions for broadband connectivity. The broadband expansion […]

Someone asked me recently if public-private partnerships (P3s) are just a fad or a delivery method that will ultimately be the country’s future. There’s no doubt about the answer. Public-private partnerships are here to stay. The federal government, realizing that public funding alone cannot cover critical infrastructure needs, continues to provide funding incentives, tax credits, […]

Technology has altered the way individuals participate in work, travel, entertainment, and health care. It also has changed the way government provides services. Technology purchases of upgrades and enhancements are required, and that will not change. The value of the benefits that result far outweigh the cost. A study of new statewide budgets confirms that […]

In past years, economic development initiatives often required funding that governmental entities were not able to provide. Now, however, many projects to stimulate the economy are delivered through public-private partnerships (P3s) taking advantage of funding and tax incentives available through a federal program. The Department of the Treasury’s New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program provides […]

For generations of Americans, the interstate system has been an icon representing infrastructural achievement. However, over the decades, the network of roadways has faced continuous use and declining upkeep and maintenance. After decades, the skeletal fiber of infrastructure needs immediate attention and investment. Finally, there is funding to begin the process of upgrading the country’s […]

Public officials in government are asking difficult questions about how to deliver critical infrastructure projects. Their concern is real, and their questions are valid because the trend of delivering large projects through public-private partnerships (P3s) is becoming more compelling every day. Government leaders are feeling pressure to consider P3s as a new delivery method for […]

Climate change has been the cause of immeasurable damage over the last few decades, and there is no end in sight. In addition to the tragic loss of lives, natural disasters have impacted at least some part of the infrastructure in every region of the country. To halt the devastation, the federal government has allocated […]

As students file out of classrooms for summer break, school campuses will become the epicenter for an abundance of seasonal construction projects. This summer the projects are likely to be large. School officials were recently notified that the federal government has now made another $500 million grant program available to school campuses. This most recent […]

Public safety is an extremely high priority for government officials, and a renewed focus on improving it has resulted in large funding allocations. Public safety assets throughout the country are outdated and long overdue for modernization. With funding now available, new equipment, technology and services are being purchased at a rapid pace. In Phoenix, city […]

The government marketplace is huge – so large, in fact, that it is almost impossible to identify any one product or service that is not purchased by public entities. Unlike the commercial sector, the government marketplace is transparent, and upcoming opportunities of every size and type may be found at any time. One of the […]

What an interesting moment of time Americans are experiencing today in the government marketplace. The abundance of available funding is so new, some public officials are hesitant to spend it. But, in other jurisdictions, innovation is rampant and visionary leaders are launching large projects with abandon. Water resources, citizen services, cleaner air, increased public safety, […]

America faces a new chapter in border security as federal mandates and border restrictions are lifted that have been in place since the outbreak of COVID. If the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is correct, daily border crossings will soon surge by thousands. To counter the accompanying challenges, new programs have been designed and funded […]

Railways — once the backbone of timely freight shipping — are now strained by bottlenecks, congestion, labor shortages, supply disruptions, and what some classify as exorbitant costs. However, there is change in the wind. When freight shipping is stalled, it results in a devastating impact on the global supply chain. That impacts everyone … and […]