Jul 7th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers
Jesse Hall. Courtesy of the University of Montana.

It is impossible to predict with certainty the total success of any new, complex project, but public officials strive to do everything possible to lessen risk factors. A feasibility study is one way to examine the practicality of any project. The final report outlines risks and evaluates all aspects of a project including the economic […]

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Jun 28th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

America’s infrastructure, which includes every critical component of life for citizens, is receiving long-overdue attention. With available funding, cities, counties, institutions of higher education, school districts and hospitals are launching projects of every size and type, and most of the funding is coming from the federal government or private sector investments. It is important to […]

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Jun 21st 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

Federal funding is still flowing to state and local government officials. Approximately $306 billion appears to currently be in transition. Most of this funding is coming from one of the very first large funding bills passed by Congress – the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The funding is available for a wide variety of projects […]

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Jun 16th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

Although Congress began passing bills to make historic and massive amounts of funding available to state and local governments a couple of years ago, much of the funding is still waiting to be claimed. There are two reasons for that. The federal government does not move quickly. Once the legislation was signed, funding was directed […]

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Jun 14th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

America’s airports are abuzz as big changes take place. Upgrades, expansions, diverse transportation options, and all kinds of new amenity projects are either underway or being prepared for launch. Planning is rampant as air travel is modernized, made safer and more convenient. However, the current activity and the projects underway at airports today will likely […]

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Jun 9th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

It would be difficult to think of any type of contracting or technology solution that could not find an immediate implementation opportunity somewhere in the United States today. Project launches scheduled to start through 2023 and 2024 ‘cover the waterfront’ and they all require construction, engineering, security, landscaping, all types of technology and more. The […]

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Jun 7th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

There’s an abundance of federal funding just waiting to be lavished on passenger rail projects in America. A massive amount of assistance and support will be available for light rail transit, heavy rail transit, commuter rail, intercity rail and high-speed rail projects throughout the country. Many of the earliest projects will launch first in the […]

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Jun 2nd 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

America’s water systems have languished for decades, and a day of reckoning is finally here. Throughout America, water infrastructure is in dire need of attention, repairs and immediate upgrades but that is about to change. The inattention to critical water needs was never intentional, the problem was funding. There simply was never enough revenue to […]

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May 31st 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

Even as a potential recession dampens the enthusiasm for commercial spending plans, the public sector continues to advance large, complex projects of record-breaking magnitude. This is partially because public officials have many funding options, and they are faced with critical infrastructure needs. Many are using alternative funding and innovative methods to deliver infrastructure projects of […]

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May 26th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

It is that time of year again – hurricane season! Unfortunately, natural disasters are becoming more frequent and more destructive. Within the last couple of decades, the U.S. has faced a dramatic rise in the number of weather-related disasters and the cost of damages has exceeded $1 billion. Throughout the 2000s, the country experienced an […]

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May 24th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

Late last year, a survey of 38 state IT directors found that over half were focused on modernizing old legacy technology systems. The officials also reported having difficulty finding and retaining employees with the expertise required to carry out legacy modernization efforts. Because of that, technology contracting firms are in high demand to modernize legacy […]

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May 19th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers
Photo courtesy of the University of Tennessee Knoxville

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) is spearheading a federal initiative to make STEM curriculum (science, technology, engineering and math) a fundamental priority in America’s education system. Federal officials will increase funding to support the implementation of high-quality STEM programming for students. The new federal initiative is already having a noticeable impact on public university […]

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May 17th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers
Photo courtesy of the San Jacinto Museum

Sites listed on the National Park Service’s Register of Historic Places are getting lots of attention, and there is an abundance of funding available for upgrades to facilities located on them. Funding and support are available because these sites and the benefits they provide preserve the country’s legacy and also spur economic development in regions […]

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May 12th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, News, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

The new federal budget – the one proposed for 2024 – requests $74 billion to upgrade government technology. This reflects a 13% increase over the amount of federal money allocated for technology in 2023. The allocation is long overdue. In fact, it is almost impossible for public entities to manage mandates with the outdated technology […]

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May 10th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

Government can be extremely confusing, and it is often difficult to get information about how things work. So, now that there is so much public funding available for projects of all types, it seems important to raise the visibility of good funding sources and try to help people know how to access them. Infrastructure investment […]

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May 5th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, News, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

Local governments have no shortage of reasons to invest in new parks. The available funding is incredibly abundant. It’s available because park enhancement projects deliver so many critical benefits – coastal resilience, economic development, greener environments, community enhancements and improved connectivity. Public park projects can be funded from many sources, but one very lucrative source […]

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May 3rd 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

The significance of electrification, a trend now sweeping America, must be noted. Its economic impact will be historic, and numerous industries will be changed forever. More than half a trillion dollars has already been allocated through federal programs to fund electrification of the country’s infrastructure. It’s important to remember that infrastructure covers all basic physical […]

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Apr 28th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers
Photo courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol

Most citizens understood what ‘Congressional earmarks’ were in the past but then new rules were adopted and earmarks were no longer allowed. Now, however, earmarks are back, and it is important to watch them because they signal upcoming projects that will be of high interest to many firms. Congressional elected officials are now tagging bills […]

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Apr 26th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau has a new funding and resource program designed to help communities launch large projects. It’s called Thriving Communities and it was created by passage of the Appropriations Act. The program will provide an abundance of funding, assistance and other resources to communities ready to launch infrastructure projects […]

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Apr 20th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

Natural disasters are becoming more regular and more intense. Thousands of lives have been lost over the last several years and trillions of dollars have been spent on the accumulated damage. The growing cost of coping and dealing with the aftermath of weather events has made one thing abundantly clear – investing in resilience makes […]

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Apr 19th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers
Delaware River Turnpike Toll Bridge. Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Ever wonder how much it would take to make all of America’s bridges safe and in good repair? Spoiler alert – it will require billions. A recent study released by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) reports that $48 billion will be required just to replace and/or rehabilitate National Highway System bridges currently classified as “structurally […]

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Apr 14th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers
Photo courtesy of the Hawaii State Auditor's Office

Support for public-private partnerships (P3s) continues to mount and federal programs are available to help fund P3 projects. Not only is the federal government encouraging private sector collaboration and investment, guidance for public officials ready to launch the projects is also available now. The newly launched Regional Infrastructure Accelerators Program has placed assistance centers throughout […]

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Apr 12th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers
Photo courtesy of the city of Missoula, Mont.

Bus rapid transit (BRT) system activities should not be overlooked if partnering with the government is of interest. This is a ‘hot’ marketplace for contracting and collaboration. Opportunities will include, but not be limited to, initiatives that enhance and make route schedules more efficient, convenient and appealing. The construction of sheltered wait stations, real-time mapping […]

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Apr 6th 2023 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

Federal programs that have been significantly enhanced are now responsible for hundreds of new projects called ‘rail to trail’ initiatives throughout the U.S. Congress authorized billions of dollars to support multi-use trails and other kinds of non-motorized transportation projects and the funding is now flowing through the Federal Highway Administration. In fact, the distribution is […]

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