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.
U.S. airports will offer hundreds of collaboration opportunities in 2024
Airports nationwide either have major upgrades in progress, or such initiatives are being designed for a 2024 launch date. A significant decline in air travel related to pandemic restrictions has been dramatically reversed and recent studies now report that a majority...
Approved funding from bond elections represents billions for projects in 2024
Efforts are underway throughout the country to upgrade and expand America’s infrastructure. More often than not, the required funding is made available through local bond elections. When elected officials seek approval for funding that will become debt, the projects...
Clean energy projects are abundant now but will likely double or triple in the next several years
Funding and support are abundantly available for clean energy projects in America. The federal government has allocated billions in funding to incentivize Americans to move to clean energy. A head-spinning amount of the funding is earmarked for projects that...
Smart City competitionꟷ one of the best ways possible to showcase successful public private partnerships
The pace of change in our world is so rapid that just acknowledging the evolutionary advances can be challenging. But one trend that should not be overlooked is the growth occurring in urban areas of America. There’s a significant shift in where people choose to live...
New funding for water and wastewater projects in less populated parts of the U.S.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced an $800 million allotment for rural infrastructure projects. Although the funding may seem insignificant, it will greatly increase the number of new projects launched in 2024. It is also important to note that...
Weather-related disasters result in new funding for mitigation projects
New York City declared a state of emergency recently because of damage from the extraordinary flash floods, which destroyed streets, devastated property and completely upended mobility. Delivering over seven inches of rain in one day, it was one of the most impactful...
Here’s a transformative trend in America that should not be overlooked
Construction activity on university campuses in America is more than noteworthy. In fact, it is being categorized as transformative! Due to a massive increase in students after COVID-19, a construction trend is sweeping college and university campuses in response to...
Funding to ‘connect communities’ results in hundreds of new projects
A federal program that allocates funding for initiatives that ‘connect communities’ is responsible for hundreds of new projects in America. Because of its unique success, the program is also credited as the impetus for hundreds of similar projects that now receive...
New funding announced for upcoming infrastructure projects
The federal government just allocated $1.4 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act to support rail infrastructure projects nationwide. Seventy projects in 35 states and Washington, D.C., are recipients of the funding. This year’s allocation is the largest that...
Benefits from recreational projects are responsible for the launch of hundreds of new construction initiatives
Public recreational initiatives are creating an abundance of government contracting opportunities throughout America as local governments build parks, aquatic centers, urban socializing spaces, walking trails, sports facilities and event centers. These initiatives...
Funding for infrastructure projects continues to expand
TIPs and STIPs are acronyms for transportation improvement programs at the local and state levels of government. The formal names are ‘Transportation Improvement Program’ and ‘Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.’ They both fund transportation projects and...
Green Infrastructure funding represents upcoming projects currently in design phases throughout the U.S.
Green Infrastructure ꟷ a phrase that has become quite common, is generating lots of discussion. Perhaps that’s because of the significant amount of funding now available for projects that fall into this category. These types of projects promote environmentally...
New federal funding program now available to support water projects
A new federal funding program has just been announced. The Department of the Interior will oversee what has been named the WaterSMART Program. It is designed to provide funding for projects that fortify the Western region of the U.S. against drought and...
Sustainability efforts to prevent future weather-related damage and restoration projects to repair current damages are abundant
Hurricane season officially began in June and will continue through November. Weather watchers, public officials and first responders will be highly focused on storm threats for the next few months. Tropical hurricanes can develop anytime but are more common during...
Here’s a long overdue turn of events that will create thousands of new opportunities
Deferred maintenance is a multi-billion-dollar problem for public officials throughout the country. Deferred maintenance is a major issue in the U.S., affecting cities, counties, school districts, universities, community colleges, public hospitals and law enforcement...
A P3 project near you soon? The chances are good for that to happen in 2024!
There’s too much confusion about public private partnership (P3) engagements. That really needs to change. Unless something significant alters public funding for infrastructure projects in the next several years, P3 engagements will likely become one of America's most...
Massive support and funding are now available to improve America’s supply chain networks
New opportunities for multimodal freight, rail, and port projects are being announced frequently because federal funding is now available to support roadway infrastructure, specifically supply chain projects. In 2022, federal officials announced $1.5 billion in new...
Funding is abundantly available for educational institutions to upgrade, rebuild, expand, and improve on energy efficiency
America’s aging public school infrastructure has been neglected for decades but that is changing rapidly now. Significant funding support is available from the federal government’s Renew America’s Schools Program, making revenue available for every level of the...
Another large amount of funding was just released to support rural healthcare projects
There are many sources of funding for healthcare needs and a new round of funding allocations was announced last month. This new funding will support approximately 170 rural healthcare projects waiting to be launched nationwide. The U.S. Department of Agriculture...
Current law enforcement needs are resulting in an abundance of contracting opportunities
Almost every correctional facility in America is old, inefficient, costly to operate and overcrowded. Very few have adequate space for education and rehabilitation services and almost none have critical care space for healthcare and mental health services. The U.S....
Funding is available to preserve and protect historic public assets of every type
A less known, and often overlooked, federal program, the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), continually provides millions in funding to support projects that upgrade, repair, or improve the sustainability of historic sites and facilities. The federal law that created...
The 2023-2024 school year begins with construction underway on hundreds of campuses…but more will launch during 2024
School doors will open for the start of the 2023-24 school year with many campuses under construction. Hundreds of new planned construction and renovation projects will launch during this current school year. In fact, billions of dollars have already been approved for...
Bridge projects will be abundant in 2024… and many will precede other types of upcoming opportunities
Bridge projects currently in the planning phases are abundant throughout the country. Most are large and complex and the majority fall into the category of critical infrastructure. The examples that follow point to commonalities that can be found in planning...
Cities and counties across the country are passing budgets and creating new opportunities
City and county budgets for 2024 are either approved or about to be approved throughout the country. Analyzing the planned expenditures for upcoming projects provides interesting insight into upcoming contracting opportunities of all types. Construction projects are...
Companies of every type and size can participate in upcoming public-private partnership engagements
Public-private partnership (P3) engagements are continually becoming more common and that is because of two basic reasons. First, significant amounts of funding are required - but rarely available - for large and complex projects that carry multi-million-dollar...
Construction opportunities abound for healthcare facilities throughout the U.S.
Billions of dollars are available throughout the country for new healthcare facilities, and many of them will be designed to provide mental health services. The needs related to behavioral health are great in America, and the growing number of individuals waiting for...
As technology spending surges, government changes will be noticeable
Technology is evolving so fast that it’s almost impossible to stay current with the newest offerings. The benefits and capabilities are extremely significant. Because of that, billions of dollars are currently available for technology modernization in public entities...
Public officials need the support of taxpayers and elected officials when change is imminent
Looking into the short-term future, it’s clear that public funding is not adequate to cover all the country’s critical infrastructure needs. That’s why it has become common for Congress to place new stipulations on grant funding that is available to state and local...
Big construction projects are on the horizon in almost every state
Big construction and development projects are extremely prominent in the government sector. Funding is being consolidated from federal grants, economic development budgets, state allocations, and local bond elections to tackle big initiatives that will create not only...
Water infrastructure projects face almost no funding shortages anywhere in the U.S.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated the largest amount of funding ever to be invested in the country’s water resources. More than $50 billion was earmarked to specifically improve the country’s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. In...
New trends in government procurement worth noting
Procurement, like everything else, is continually evolving. That is especially true today because so many procurements are large, complex, and one-of-a-kind. The increased use of public-private partnership engagements is also spurring changes in the way projects are...
$2 billion in funding announced for new projects statewide
The director of a federal program with a very long name - Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity - just announced that more than $2 billion has just been awarded to officials at the state and local levels of government. The new funding was...
Feasibility Studies signal high interest in upcoming projects
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...
Port projects continue to launch throughout the country
Ports across the United States are always active, but they are rarely as busy as they are currently. New project launches have become the norm, and there is an abundance of funding available now and for the next several years for critical infrastructure projects at...
Government officials are now launching critical projects once passed over because of funding restrictions
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...
Time is ticking… parties interested in ARPA funding or contracting to deliver ARPA projects should be moving now
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...
State leaders should support local officials and provide whatever is needed to make application for billions of federal funding waiting to be claimed – A deadline is looming
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...
America’s aviation sector provides very fertile ground for public-private sector collaborations
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...
Current public projects reflect innovation, new delivery models, and unique outcomes
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...
Rail projects are rolling out almost faster than trains can move
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...