Expert Insights

Transportation infrastructure will stimulate the U.S. economy significantly over the next few years. Hundreds of large projects have been announced; so many in fact, it should be possible for almost every type of contracting firm to find attractive opportunities....

Very often the SPI Team receives inquiries from public officials about an upcoming project. Their questions are almost always about alternative funding sources or public-private partnerships (P3s). These officials usually are trying to determine whether a particular...

Civic outreach plans are critical components of success for large public projects. In spite of data that proves it, public officials often neglect to develop or implement these types of plans. And, experienced contractors often fail to insist on them. Why is that?...

Occasionally, change occurs so rapidly it seems the world is spinning faster than ever. Technology changes occurring in roadways and bridges today are amazing, to say the least. Motorists will soon experience roadway technology never imagined in the past. The...

City leaders throughout the U.S. have made commitments to renewable energy. Most have aggressive goals and plans to rely completely on renewable power sources by a specific year. Community leaders who are not pushing for clean energy sources are out of step with their...

Throughout America, there is a robust effort underway to find the best way(s) to ensure the safety of students, teachers, and administrators. Yet, there is no agreement on how to accomplish that goal. Ensuring school safety has become a very difficult and complex...

There are many ways to identify upcoming contracting opportunities in the public sector marketplace, but one of the most reliable ways is to track feasibility studies. Environmental impact statements also are precursors to the launch of large projects. Here are some...

Upcoming public sector opportunities can be found in almost every area of the public sector marketplace. But, at the moment, the sheer number of upcoming opportunities related to law enforcement facilities is enough to make one ponder. Has every incarceration facility...

At a time when the U.S. Congress cannot agree on an infrastructure plan and funding at the local levels of government is at an all-time low, it’s heartening to see that visionary elected officials continue to find ways to move forward with projects of all types. There...

County courthouses, city halls, and government buildings of all types are being renovated, sold, or replaced. Most public facilities of this type are old, inefficient, costly to maintain, and unable to accommodate new technology. Some are unsafe and no longer meet...

The American Water Works Association has estimated that $1 trillion will be required to maintain and expand water services over the next 25 years. Here’s why: Americans get their water delivered through approximately one million miles of water pipelines. Most of the...

Parking has become a critical consideration for governmental entities throughout the country. In the next 18 months, there will be thousands of upcoming opportunities related to planning, designing, engineering, and constructing new parking facilities. Not only is...

Although large airport projects dominate the news, smaller regional airports are announcing numerous immediate upcoming projects.  Record growth at regional airports along with projections that the growth will continue for decades is driving expansion, upgrades, and...

Upcoming transportation projects are abundant throughout the country.   Projects of every size and type can be found, but a sweeping trend is for larger projects to be collaborative in nature. Delivery methods may be called public-private partnerships or comprehensive...

Cities with vibrant cultural assets attract tourists, retail establishments, hotels, real estate developers, and appreciation from local citizens. Cultural facilities also boost a region’s economic engine. The 2002 redevelopment of Millennium Park in Chicago, for...

Student housing is a critical component when it comes to recruiting students and retaining them through graduation. Young men and women want to live in modern, purpose-built housing within walking distance of campuses. Some will settle for nothing less - and that is...

Economic development is the highest priority for a majority of America’s mayors. And, within that category, parks and recreation is the No. 1 redevelopment priority throughout the country. There are several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that parks...

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, America’s schools are in dire need of attention.  That’s obviously a significant understatement because the report explains that the needs of K-12, the U.S.’ second-largest infrastructure sector, will exceed...

There are often dire predictions about the U.S. housing marketplace. Experts in the commercial sector worry about interest rates, construction labor shortages, and declining demand. In the government housing marketplace, however, the concerns all center on the great...

New trends and contracting opportunities related to public safety all seem to revolve around technology and construction. Thousands of immediate contracting opportunities exist, and they may be found throughout the country at every jurisdictional level of government....

Opportunities continue to be abundant in the health care sector. Because the demand for services is great, competition between health care providers is extremely keen. Every company or system is eager to capture more market share, and that is generating thousands of...

The 1,051 community colleges in the United States - more than 900 of which are public - are no longer viewed as stepping stones for students on the path to a degree from a four-year institution. Because of the country’s growing economy and the immediate need for...

Cities throughout the United States are announcing revitalization projects. The trend is strong – so strong, in fact, that it’s hard to find a state without a number of cities either in the planning or launching stages of rebuilding their urban cores. These types of...

  Counties are critical to successful economic development efforts. That’s because counties maintain 46 percent of the country’s public road miles and build and maintain more than 38 percent of bridges throughout America, according to National Association of...

The recent Panama Canal expansion created what some call “a whole new world” for U.S. ports.  Megaships now carry more tonnage, cargo is more diverse and much more of it is shipped throughout the world … especially to U.S. ports. Contractors are in high demand to help...

The effects of climate change have escalated so significantly that floods and increasing environmental concerns are now being referred to as climate catastrophes. What were once called 500-year storms are occurring every few years. Record heat is causing a growing...

As Congressional leaders in Washington debate an infrastructure bill, elected officials at the state and local levels of government are not waiting…they have been moving ahead for the last two years.  In many states, collaborative initiatives have been launched to...

Over the past two decades, schools throughout the country have beefed up campus security – so much so that the school security market has become a multi-billion-dollar industry. Market research firm, IHS Markit, estimates school spending on security projects totaled...

Sports and entertainment venues contribute significantly to the U.S. economy. The activities associated with both appeal to millions of people.  They generate revenue, attract retail establishments and provide benefits of all types to government. Because of this,...

Something good could happen as a result of congressional action.  A recently introduced bill would provide a $5 billion boost for the construction and rehabilitation of government-owned buildings.  The Public Buildings Renewal Act (S. 932), if passed by Congress, will...

A few motorists - those who are aware of America’s bridge conditions - are occasionally selective about the bridges they cross. Millions of other motorists, however, are unaware of the fact that government leaders nationwide are scrambling to find funds to repair old...

Municipal leaders throughout the country are focusing lots of attention on convention centers. That’s because convention-related business contributes millions to city coffers. Two years ago, communities in the United States with convention centers shared in $845...

The United States has incredibly busy airports – in fact, some of the busiest in the world. That’s good, because it indicates that many of the more than 4 billion global air passengers each year are flying in or out of America. However, a sobering statistic is...

Lots of funding is flowing to public transit authorities.  An American Public Transportation Association (APTA) report points out that there’s approximately $232 billion in critical public transportation needs across the country, and if that $232 billion were spent...

Government data centers reached a tipping point some time ago and now big changes are occurring.  A recent Gartner report explained that traditional (and older) data centers, which are exactly what most governmental entities rely on, are being relegated to legacy...

Most elected officials, especially at the local levels of government, desperately need more revenue. There are critical needs in their communities but they have no funds to address the problems. Although alternative funding is available, government leaders in many...

Cities and counties have common problems throughout the U.S. And, these common issues are opening up a new marketplace that is catching the attention of investors and contractors.  There’s definitely a trend developing here. Public officials at the state and local...

A new U.S. marketplace is growing so fast many have not noticed it - the charter school network.  It is already extremely large and it touches almost every region of this country. Contractors of all types and sizes should take notice of the abundance of upcoming...