Expert Insights
Expert Insights
As President and CEO of Strategic Partnerships, Inc., Mary Scott Nabers has decades of experience working in the public-private sector. A well-recognized expert in the P3 and government contracting fields, she is often asked to share her industry insights with top publications and through professional speaking engagements. Get an exclusive look at upcoming trends and insider tips from Mary herself on the SPI blog.
Ready to hop into a driverless vehicle? Opportunities to ride are abundant!
From Boston to Austin, autonomous vehicles are being tested on city streets. It’s so common that the driverless cars are no longer head-turners. Some estimates are that 10 million self-driving cars will be on the road by 2020. But, the introduction of new...
Alternative funding sources for government projects
Government leaders continually struggle for funding. Budgets are constrained and critical needs are great. That creates great stress. However, public officials have options. Lots of alternative funding sources are available for projects that result in certain positive...
Bridge construction projects – happening at ‘almost’ the speed of light!
Two city bridge superstructures demolished, moved and replaced in 16 hours? Impossible? No…it can happen and Utah’s Department of Transportation just proved it. This impossible-sounding accomplishment is a result of a program called Accelerated Bridge Construction...
Government leaders find creative ways to deal with budget reductions
Early one recent Saturday morning, half a dozen residents of Hamtramck, a city of 22,000 in Michigan, spent the morning patching potholes along a city street in an area of town where they live. The citizens worked with 900 pounds of cold patch asphalt, which they had...
Congressional leaders begin to address infrastructure with a plan of their own
Delays in the rollout of the Trump administration’s much-heralded $1 trillion infrastructure plan are proving costly for deteriorating U.S. roads, bridges, airports and transit systems. And the longer the delay, the more it will cost taxpayers. Tired of delays on a...
A few Texas cities make Best-Managed Cities list
While some cities manage to balance revenues with citizen services and expectations, others struggle with that because funding and resources are required for critical needs related to transportation, infrastructure, public safety and emergency services. Their revenues...
Watch for RFIs to get information about upcoming opportunities!
Most companies that sell to government love RFIs. These documents, known as Requests for Information (RFIs), alert contractors to upcoming opportunities and allow them time to consider whether to pursue the opportunity. RFIs related to technology are common and fairly...
Federal funding now available for water infrastructure projects
Created three years ago and finally funded this year, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program may soon announce the first round of funding for water infrastructure projects. The agency has $1.5 billion in...
Will transportation projects change the way we travel?
Will a majority of Americans give up automobiles and rely on public transportation in the not-too-distant future? Maybe not, but dependence on public transportation is definitely on the increase. Two things are happening as a result of this. Motorists are being...
Infrastructure back in spotlight; Trump appoints advisory council
The wheels on the Trump administration’s $1 trillion infrastructure plan appear to be moving. After months of delays, the president, through an executive order, announced the creation of a Presidential Advisory Council on Infrastructure. Neither the president nor...
Got public safety technology? If so, buyers are waiting!
This will surprise many. A recent report estimates that spending on law enforcement technology in the United States will likely reach $7.6 billion this year and that number will climb exponentially in the next few years. Law enforcement technology includes such things...
A growing market sector that bears watching
Here’s something that will shock most taxpayers. Projections are that cities will spend an estimated $150 billion in stormwater infrastructure projects over the next 20 years. That will create a very large marketplace but the action has already started. Spending is...
Is this the future?
It sounds a bit futuristic – transportation systems that direct people and resources based on artificial intelligence. Is that really a possibility? Actually, it’s happening now – in real time! When smart transportation technology first became part of the...
The world spins…and government rolls out mobile apps
Government rarely leads when it comes to technology innovation. That’s because the funding required is simply not available. However, governmental entities are finally moving into the next phase of IT modernization – mobile apps. In the most recent survey, 65 percent...
Congress may be smiling on rural America!
Government officials in rural America are more “anxious” than “eager” to hear details of the long-awaited $1 trillion Trump infrastructure plan. There’s no way to know how much, if any, will actually trickle down to small and rural areas. Spokespersons for the...
Who owns our infrastructure? Who will fix it?
Who owns the public infrastructure assets in the U.S.? If your answer was – the federal government - you would be wrong. There’s lots of talk about infrastructure today and both parties in Congress are advocating for the funding, incentives and support that will be...
Got climate related services or solutions? If so, state and local officials are looking for you!
The federal government may not like the Paris Climate Agreement, but state and local elected officials do. This past weekend, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti hosted a large number of mayors who reiterated their commitment to the partnership agreement. These officials...
Firms that develop apps have been waiting for this!
It’s true…Siri and Alexa copycats are coming soon to a governmental entity near every one of us. When it happens, it will be because public officials have found new ways to deliver citizen services. In putting creativity and innovation to the test with the objective...
Ransomware attacks are becoming more common
The media has focused primarily on cyberattacks related to election systems lately. Many individuals, public officials and company executives, however, have been just as worried about ransomware attacks. Ransomware attacks infect computer networks with a virus that...
Asset recycling – a concept that taxpayers need to understand!
While the $1 trillion Trump Infrastructure Plan was being touted last week by the president and transportation officials, those of us at the annual meeting for the Association for the Improvement of American Infrastructure (AIAI) in New York were giving considerable...
Many state leaders not waiting for Congress to launch infrastructure reform
It’s impossible to know whether Congress will provide federal funding to stimulate infrastructure spending. Although members from both parties have strongly advocated for addressing the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, there is much disagreement about how much...
Move over, Smart Cities…you’ve got company!!
Snohomish County in the state of Washington is about to be the second county in the United States to become designated a Smart County. Durham County, in North Carolina, was the first. Municipal leaders cornered the market on being recognized as they launched...
Interested in rail projects? If so, here’s something of immediate interest!
An abundance of rail safety projects are about to be launched. That’s because commuter and intercity passenger railroads must meet a federally mandated December 2018 deadline to implement Positive Train Control (PTC) systems. And, it’s also because the federal...
Budget woes create even greater need for transportation collaboration
Hand-wringing and soul-searching are an integral part of budget decisions being made by government officials. Across the U.S., 31 states faced budget shortfalls at the beginning of 2017. Legislators in Texas last weekend sent a budget bill to the governor that...
Holdup of FTA investment program funds could threaten transit projects
A letter was sent recently to the U.S. Department of Transportation and the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) urging the administration to release of $2.4 billion in funds for transit projects. The funds were previously allocated by the Federal Transit...
President Trump’s proposed budget speaks volumes about his infrastructure vision
President Trump’s proposed federal budget for 2018 is causing heartburn for many members of Congress. That’s because it lays out at least $1 trillion in cuts from welfare programs. In spite of that, the budget plan includes some interesting provisions related to...
Cities and counties – large new marketplace for public safety technology
We live in a world where, unfortunately, disasters have become a way of life. We watch weekly as first responders and emergency personnel race to all kinds of emergencies. In those moments, we are reminded of how critical it is to have good emergency communication...
‘No silver bullet … just a lot of silver BBs’
The $1 trillion Trump-promised federal infrastructure plan is back on the front burner and heating up – again. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao this week predicted that “principles” of the plan, which the president says will leverage $200 billion in federal...
Lots of opportunities here…
Who doesn’t love a great sports event? Large crowds, jubilant fans, media coverage, economic opportunities for lots of stakeholders - public officials and the public at large all find much to like!! As a result, universities, school districts and municipalities are...
What are we doing to our state parks?
Strange things can happen during legislative budget negotiations. As bizarre as it sounds, when legislators begin cutting budgets even agencies that are major drivers of the economy are sometimes the first to suffer. That has been the plight of state parks throughout...
Another large, expanding marketplace for government contractors
Government contractors usually want to know when and where new markets are emerging. So, here’s a tip – watch what’s happening across the country in the area of public safety projects. Construction, engineering and architectural firms will find an abundance of...
Moving people and freight at 800 miles an hour? Really?
High-speed trains, carrying both freight and passengers, now speed along at up to 200 miles per hour in China. Computer-operated electric pod cars travel on tracks at West Virginia University, carrying up to 20 passengers at a time across campus. Singapore claims to...
RFI Signals Growing Interest in Water Public-Private Partnerships
Multiple Public-Private Partnerships a Probability in Infrastructure Plan The low-level buzz surrounding the $1 trillion Trump administration infrastructure plan is starting to swirl again, and private-sector firms interested in participating in water public-private...
Government contractors will want to watch this trend carefully!
A bank located in the Northeast has drawn the attention of state officials nationwide. The three-year-old bank, however, is not your typical loans, checking account and cash services bank. In the aftermath of 2012’s Superstorm Sandy, the second-costliest hurricane in...