Category: Mary Scott Nabers’ Insights

There’s a trend gaining strength that is worth watching. Private sector investors are beginning to seek investment opportunities that provide more than good returns. There is great appeal for investments focused on sustainability. Nowhere is this trend more clearly illustrated than in the surging popularity of green bonds. Green bonds are traditional fixed-income securities issued […]

With so much buzz about the pending infrastructure bill, it would be easy to assume that most upcoming opportunities for government contracting will be centered on roads, bridges, water, and power. Or, with the potential passage of the Jobs Act, one could predict that most future contracting opportunities would focus on asset recycling, sustainability, renewable […]

Federal funding and community supported bond packages will provide funding for new public safety projects in the very near future. It appears that almost every state in the U.S. will launch projects similar to the ones that follow. Nevada The city of Henderson plans to upgrade older fire stations and build several new ones beginning […]

After long overdue attention to maintenance, repair, upgrades, and expansions, public officials throughout the country are preparing to launch projects to reverse the trend of deferrals. The inattention in the past resulted because there was simply no available funding. That inactivity is changing, and citizens, students and taxpayers will benefit. Demand over the next two […]

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced in August that $766 million in grant funding is available to airports for improvement projects. But, there’s much more. Funding is flowing to airports from numerous sources, and the types of projects ready for launch are extremely diverse. Of high interest to the federal government are purchases of zero-emission […]

Technology firms offering software and related services will find an abundance of upcoming opportunities in local government next year. Municipal leaders throughout the country have announced plans to upgrade old technology, and software purchases are imbedded in almost every plan. It is important to note that interested contractors should get involved immediately because most technology […]

At least 580,000 people experienced homelessness on a given day in January 2020. That number has increased significantly since then. Today, reporting organizations say there is no recent accounting and gathering the data will be more difficult in the months to come. However, data does point to increases in America’s homeless population over the past […]

Funding for rail projects will be significant in the new infrastructure bill, but even now before new allocations are available, upcoming rail projects are being announced on a weekly basis. The diversity of projects is evidence of public officials at various levels of government working hard to incentivize ridership on public railways.   Northeast Corridor […]

New funding is available for upcoming projects related to parks and outdoor activities. The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), a program overseen by the Department of the Interior, has $900 million to be used for projects at government facilities on public lands and tribal schools. The objective is to begin to address the Interior’s deferred […]

Elementary and secondary schools were allocated $122.7 billion in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The law stipulates that funding is to be distributed as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grants, and education leaders have until the end of the 2023-2024 school year to spend the new revenue. The U.S. Department of Education […]

Earlier this week, I was in California to participate in a large public-private partnership (P3) conference that focused on airports. It was rewarding to feel the energy and excitement as well as hear from aviation officials. The industry sector is alive and well, and airports throughout the U.S. will soon be launching large infrastructure projects. […]

People are on the move again, and many are relying on public transit. In fact, transit ridership is up more than 80 percent since 2020, according to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and other grant programs have provided billions in funding for transit authorities nationwide. If Congress passes the […]

Industry leaders and public officials are gathering for a July 19-20 conference in California to work on ‘best practices’ related to infrastructure and collaborative initiatives. The objectives of the P3 Airport Summit will be to provide information, guidance, and networking opportunities to public owners and private sector contractors and investors. The primary focus of this […]

America’s water infrastructure may soon get the attention it deserves now that funding is available. Billions of dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) are on the way to public officials throughout the U.S. Most states are allocating additional funding as well, and many local officials will take advantage of consolidating the two new […]

The world is changing rapidly, and technology is morphing so quickly that individual lives are being impacted in ways that may have escaped notice. Staying abreast of life-changing trends has never been harder. One more recent trend is worthy of note – a steady shift toward all individuals having digital IDs. Numerous states have either […]

Smart City competition continues, and benefits are coming not only to citizens at the local level of government but also to the entire country as new initiatives are launched, tested, and perfected. Recognition for exemplary effort is now more prevalent than ever as states and national organizations seek out and reward public agencies for visionary […]

At a time when an abundance of federal funding is already aiding state and local governments, even more is about to be released. This new funding will be allocated to public entities to support critical projects related to disaster mitigation. The funding will come from a Hazard Mitigation Assistance program within the Federal Emergency Management […]

Less than a month ago, President Biden released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2022 that includes $9.8 billion in funding for cybersecurity enhancements. Cyberbreaches are making the headlines too often – almost on a weekly basis – and those are only the attacks that are reported. Not only are the breaches costly, but they […]

Public schools have been granted approximately $190.5 billion in new funding from the federal government. In 2020 and 2021, Congress passed three stimulus bills that provided funding to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. It came in three tranches: ESSER I: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed in […]

We rarely stop to consider how difficult it is to be a government leader. The responsibility to identify critical needs, focus on eminent dangers, ensure public safety, and provide citizen services are monumental tasks. Consider this: An estimated 400,000 schools and child-care facilities as well as millions of homes rely on water from toxic lead […]

Earlier this month, the country celebrated another annual Infrastructure Week. For the last nine years, leaders have convened from across America to highlight the critical role infrastructure plays in the economy, job creation, public health, and national security. But, for many years the celebrations have been rather mild since there has been little to celebrate. […]

Congress sent some rather clear messages with passage of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), and the importance of education is undoubtedly top of mind. Based on the sheer volume of school safety allocations, protecting our nation’s students is a high priority with the Biden administration and a majority in Congress. Although many governmental entities will […]

Try to read a newspaper or listen to a newscast without being reminded that the country is beginning to return to normalcy. Activity can be found everywhere. Projects, initiatives, and opportunities are being announced daily. The activity level in government marketplaces is close to an all-time high. Pent up demand and critical issues are driving […]

The government marketplace is changing rapidly, and strong trends point to a future environment that is quite different. The evolution that is occurring will impact all industry sectors as well as government. America leads the world with 16 percent of the global green economy, according to a recent research report from Palgrave Communications. That translates […]

Public officials at the state and local jurisdictions of government have overcome the first quarter of 2021, but with so many looming problems and issues, most are struggling to establish their highest priorities. Which problem needs the most immediate attention? Is it homelessness at the city level, funding shortages at school districts, broadband issues statewide, […]