A number of national issues which were previously relegated to “back burner” status in Congress are now front and center. This is a result of public awareness, citizen concern and media reports outlining the danger and the cost of doing nothing. Renewable energy, global warming, public safety and infrastructure reform are four issues that have […]
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 states are reluctant to accept it. Alternative funding sources are abundant. Funding is available through a […]
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 levels of government are seeking alternative sources of funding to deal with thousands of […]
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 opportunities. And, the public at large should also be […]
After a long period of totally inadequate funding for critical water projects, the tide appears to be turning and funding is becoming more readily available. Late in 2018, authorization was given for almost $6 billion in funding for water infrastructure projects. The funding resulted from passage of the America’s Water Infrastructure Act. The act also […]
Ports of entry in the United States will hold an abundance of contracting opportunities in 2019. That’s because the needs are great and these border crossings are receiving lots of scrutiny. Long neglected, the country’s border crossings now face a $4 billion deficit for much-needed improvements. That trend should be turning significantly though and the […]
Public libraries are no longer just repositories for books, newspapers and magazines. They are much more, and new libraries bear little resemblance to libraries of the past. Twenty-first century libraries are state-of-the-art facilities – innovative, thoughtfully designed and architecturally appealing. Construction of new libraries is increasing nationwide, as are renovation projects that allow reconfiguration and […]
President Trump talked a lot about health issues (cancer treatment, HIV research, drug prices, etc.) in his recent State of the Union address. Other elected officials throughout the country are also speaking out about healthcare issues. There is no alternative to providing citizens with healthcare services and government leaders are searching for ways to upgrade, […]
While response to public-private partnerships (P3s) at the state and local levels of government has been a little tepid in some parts of the country, federal agencies are forging ahead with all types of collaborative initiatives. Federal officials have acknowledged that partnerships with private-sector firms not only provide greatly-needed funding, but the engagements also bring […]
Public utilities are under extreme pressure and their needs, which fall into the critical category, are common. Almost every public system that supplies citizens with electricity, gas, water and sewage services is old. They suffer from decline that comes with age, deferred maintenance and the failure to upgrade as technology and needs evolve. Utilities officials, […]
Two rather shocking predictions are worthy of note. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, cybercrimes are expected to cost $6 trillion annually worldwide by 2021… and 2019 could be the worst year yet for cyberbreaches. Government portals are immediate targets for cyber terrorists. The valuable data available on public websites is all too tempting to hackers and […]
Across America, ports are expanding and posting record cargo growth. This will result in huge economic gains throughout the country. However, the positive impact is vulnerable because many critical components in the infrastructure network that allow the movement of goods are woefully underfunded, especially when it comes to security. A majority of funding for port […]
Growth and change are descriptors common to colleges and universities throughout the country. That’s where the focus is…but managing the two is almost impossible without an abundance of human effort and financial investment. It would be hard to find individuals anywhere who disagree with the importance of higher education, but public funding has not kept […]
People in law enforcement have been under siege throughout the country for the past several years. Criticism comes from citizens who aren’t satisfied with the norm and want more protection. Angst, anger and fear are also evident from citizens who believe law enforcement officers are often bigoted and/or overly violent or impulsive. Frustrated public officials […]
Sometimes bad things happen…and lately, a number of calamities have stretched emergency operations almost to the brink of failure. Lives have been lost and damages have resulted in horrifically high costs. Natural disasters are on the increase, affecting millions of people. Rivers tend to flood when there is heavy rain, hurricanes cause unprecedented damage, wildfires […]
While most people are preparing to file tax returns, elected officials throughout the country are looking at government coffers and evaluating whether they will raise taxes. They are also making decisions about how to spend funding that has not been available to them in the last few years. In the last decade since the financial […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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