Although the federal government shutdown has dominated media headlines for more than a month, another subject – a cornerstone of the Trump presidential campaign – is sneaking its way back into the news. Trump’s proposed multi-billion-dollar infrastructure plan was expected to be a signature priority during the new administration’s first 100 days. Two years later, […]
The longest government shutdown in history continues and the impact has spread far beyond government workers and their families. It is difficult to find any business, school, hospital, city, county, college, university or local government organization that is not suffering as a result of the shutdown. The negative impact on retail establishments of all types, […]
Hard to believe…but spending on urban parks is up 30 percent over last year. At least that is what the U.S. Department of Commerce reports. This statistic is important because it represents millions of dollars of new contracting opportunities for companies from almost every industry sector. Today’s municipal parks are treasured city assets. Most are […]
Citizens and public officials continue to wait…and wait…and wait! It has been almost 18 months since Hurricanes Harvey and Irma devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast. It’s been almost a year since Congress earmarked $16 billion in federal funding for rebuilding and resiliency efforts. Yet, states impacted by the disasters have yet to see the $16 […]
Blockchain technology is relatively new. However, it is having a widespread impact on state and local governments… and, it is likely to impact citizens and taxpayers in the very near future. Public officials and industry executives are now claiming that blockchain may first be transformative in the energy sector. If that’s true, it is important […]
2018 was supposed to be a banner year for self-driving cars – or autonomous vehicles. It didn’t happen! After pedestrian deaths in March, both Uber and Tesla scaled back significantly on initiatives that were on a fast track. The future for self-driving vehicles looked even bleaker after 50 percent of 25,000 consumers surveyed globally said […]
While thousands of road projects languish for lack of funding, 2019 promises to be a banner year for new transit projects. Big changes are coming, funding is available and contracting opportunities will be abundant. Successful bond issues, federal grant programs and keen interest from private-sector investors are contributing to the increased availability of funding. That’s […]
There’s new funding – $1.5 billion – now available to fund critical transportation projects. Government officials are moving quickly to finalize plans and contracting solicitations should be rolled out soon. More than 90 road, rail, transit and port projects planned in rural and urban areas of the United States will benefit from the new grant […]
Looking back – 2018 brought both turmoil and innovation to government contracting. A string of cyber-attacks, such as the ransomware attack on Atlanta, left public officials focused on increasing cybersecurity. Hurricane Florence in North Carolina and fires in California brought resilience and climate change to the forefront of many agendas. Start-up and disruptive new offerings […]
The horrific increase in mass shootings in American communities and schools, along with bombings, terroristic threats, border issues and soaring criminal activity, have resulted in billions of dollars being spent nationwide on increased safety efforts. The spending is astronomical and there is no slowdown in sight. It consumes every jurisdiction of government. Public safety is […]
2018 has been a year of devastation! Wildfires in California, hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes and gas line explosions were horrific. The carnage was great and public infrastructure assets were significantly impacted. One infrastructure category that may have been hardest hit was regional utilities. In most cases, water and power were sacrificed in the initial stages and […]
Affordable housing shortages are now a top concern for government officials throughout the country. Every metro area in the United States is dealing with a severe shortage of affordable housing. The National Low Income Housing Coalition reports that the problem is impacting even rural areas of the country. Because of the magnitude of the problem, […]
Looking for engineering and construction opportunities? Look no further than ports! Investment in America’s ports is accelerating significantly and port spending will increase again in 2019. Because of the neo-Panamax megaships, ports throughout the country are expanding shipping channels and harbors. They are also expanding rail lines and constructing new facilities or significantly expanding older […]
Recognizing that two heads really are better than one, governmental officials nationwide are taking the very old adage to the extreme as they work toward “smart city” status. In what is already a major trend, cities are partnering with private-sector businesses, corporations, educational organizations, civic groups, private individuals and non-government organizations. The partnerships or Smart […]
Almost every airport in the country will likely be expanded or upgraded over the next 24 months. Not a single airport in the U.S. is listed in the top 20 airports worldwide anymore. Because of aging infrastructure, the lack of leading edge technology, transit options and minimal passenger comforts, the country’s airports are in dire […]
The United States ranks number one in the world for health care spending as a percentage of GDP. That sounds great… but, Texas ranks only 11th worldwide when it comes to performance. That’s because of “access to care.” Public-Private Partnerships and Education Funding The country’s health care rankings are likely to get worse as 673 […]
Political candidates weren’t the only ones vying for the attention of voters this week. More than 508 bond issues totaling approximately $48.8 billion were decided in elections throughout the country. The bond issues that passed will result in millions of dollars being spent on projects such as new school construction, water and wastewater upgrades, affordable housing, […]
Many still think of Smart Cities as a futuristic possibility but, in most metropolitan areas, the rush to initiate smart city technology is happening in real time. While citizens may not be ready for this, technology and the internet of things (IoT) appear to be inevitable. There is concern, however, because without transparency and proper […]
Tax breaks are universally coveted! And, tax incentives attached to investments in government projects have attracted the attention of investors and developers. Last week, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced eagerly awaited proposed regulations and guidelines for a program that trades tax incentives for investments in projects in underserved communities in the nation’s 8,700 new […]
Last week, 14 packages containing pipe bombs were delivered to individuals who were either public officials or connected to government in some way. Another similar package carrying a bomb was intercepted before it reached its target this week. While the devices were detected before they could detonate, and a suspect has been apprehended, the incident […]
Visionary developers are being courted aggressively by city leaders throughout the country. They are also in high demand by other public officials, including university planners, transit authorities, county officials, school administrators and public hospital leaders. There’s a reason for this new popularity – mixed-use development has become one of the hottest new tools for generating […]
Donald Trump has been promising to build a physical border wall since his earliest campaign days. The wall, however, sparks so much controversy from all sides it is believed to be DOA with Congress. The cost of a wall would add billions more to the national debt and almost every expert says there is no […]
Last week, a woman carrying an American passport arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport on a flight from Ghana. Facial recognition technology alerted the U.S. Border Patrol that she was not an American citizen but, in fact, a citizen from Cameroon. It was the third time in the past 40 days that facial recognition technology […]
An infusion of $6 billion in federal funding for critical water infrastructure projects appears to be on the way to some very happy state and local officials. What a great gift! Congress last week passed America’s Water Infrastructure Act (S.3021), which will result in federal funding for projects related to safer drinking water and sewer […]
Some tend to overlook a significant economic driver for many less-populated areas of the country – regional general aviation airports. While these airports are small compared to those found in major cities, their economic impact is extremely significant. In fact, the general aviation industry generates $219 billion in total economic input and contributes $109 billion […]
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