The Quiet Revolution: Building the future from the ground up

Big changes and big needs are emerging so quickly. It seems appropriate to pause and consider some of the monumental issues facing public officials and government at large.

The country has entered an era where infrastructure is no longer just roads, bridges, and buildings. America’s infrastructure is power, water, data, resilience, mobility, defense, cybersecurity, and private capital – all converging, many with immediate needs.  

Government funding gaps are pushing public sector leaders to embrace new project delivery methods, including Public-Private Partnerships (P3s), Progressive Design-Build, Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR), Availability Payments, Outcome Based Contracts, Progressive P3s, and privately financed infrastructure.  

Infrastructure has expanded beyond toll roads into courthouses, civic service campuses, broadband, energy systems, water facilities, schools, airports, cybersecurity, and data. Public-Private collaborations now extend beyond traditional infrastructure into digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI), Innovation Ecosystems, and content data platforms that provide instant citizen services.  

Opportunities are emerging rapidly for firms that can finance, operate, maintain, consolidate, and assume risk while bringing the latest technology. Most large projects today require much more than just engineering and construction.  

Power is becoming an immediate critical infrastructure issue. AI, data centers, electrification, reshoring, EVs, and advanced manufacturing are driving massive new demand for power. Harvard’s Belfer Center cites projections from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab saying that U.S. data center electricity demand could rise from 176 TWh in 2023 to 580 TWh by 2028. That is a huge transition in a very short time period. Public officials throughout America are already grappling with how to meet that amount of demand. 

At the federal level, the Department of Energy (DOE), the military, and other agencies are moving toward nuclear deployment and other fuel programs. Battery storage, however, is becoming the bridge between intermittent renewables and 24/7 power demand. Geothermal, especially enhanced geothermal, is gaining attention as firm, clean baseload power. Biofuels and renewable natural gas are popular with airports, fleets, ports, wastewater plants, and agricultural regions. DOE touts hydrogen as a flexible energy carrier produced from nuclear, renewables, or fossil resources with carbon capture.  

The rush to meet power demand will result in cities, airports, military bases, universities, and hospitals all seeking substations, microgrids, transmission, storage, backup generation, permitting, controls, and resilience upgrades. 

As if public officials were not already stretched to the limit, water is quickly moving from a “utility issue” to a critical sustainability problem and an economic development issue. The EPA says the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes more than $50 billion for drinking water, wastewater, reuse, conveyance, and storage, including more than $35 billion for lead service line replacement and PFAS. But that is not nearly enough to mend, modernize and ensure safe water resources in America. Corroded lead pipes that deliver water must be replaced. Dangerous PFAS particles in water must be removed and wastewater reuse systems require attention along with the launching of initiatives to decrease flooding vulnerability. 

Aging dams, reservoir upgrades, unsafe bridges, and roadway expansion and repair must all be priorities for upgrades and enhanced safety. Airports are becoming mobility hubs, not just aviation facilities. Flying taxis are moving from concept to projects. The FAA recently announced eight Advanced Air Mobility and eVTOL pilot projects across 26 states. Texas DOT was selected for one of the air taxi testing projects. However, America is still behind many other countries. A dedicated air taxi station near Dubai International Airport will be operational by the end of 2026.  

Climate resilience also requires large amounts of capital investment. The need to address coastal defenses, wildfires, stormwater systems, heat mitigation, backup power and hardened public facilities are rushing planning documents into procurement pipelines. The World Bank’s guidance urges that climate risks and adaptation measures be considered in all infrastructure development, design, and implementation in the future. 

Transportation officials now must oversee more digital, autonomous and electric self-driving vehicles.  Accommodation must also be made for electric cars and EV charging infrastructure.  These types of infrastructure upgrades need to be delivered immediately in spite of the fact that they are all extremely expensive. 

America’s next great infrastructure boom is already underway, and it will barely resemble the last one. Future projects and initiatives will be financed differently, powered differently, regulated differently, and many will be delivered through partnerships that blur the line between public and private responsibility. 

Government contractors that understand finance, technology, energy, resilience, and public-sector risk will have a significant advantage throughout the next several years. Public officials need partners, and visionary ones at that. The future will reward firms that can help public officials solve critical and immediate needs at reasonable costs and innovative technology. Public officials will look for companies willing to share some of the risks, take on more oversight of complex initiatives, and be genuinely good partners.  That will be required to ensure that America remains a global competitive giant and offers a safe and inviting place to live, work and grow. 

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