America’s prison system is responsible for housing and rehabilitating a very large population of inmates. The resources and accommodations required are great, and the system, the largest in the world, has reached a point of no return. Many of its parts are in critical need of repair. As a result, there are hundreds of contracting opportunities.

In Indiana, a large-scale construction program to rebuild LaPorte County’s Westville Correctional Center is underway. A request for proposals (RFP) was issued for architectural and engineering design work that carries a budget of $12 million. The ultimate objective will be to construct a new facility that houses 4,000 new beds and has space for administrative purposes, recreational activities, and food services. The projected construction costs for the project are $400 million. The county has an anticipated start date slated for 2022.

The state of California also plans a major prison renovation project for the State Prison in Los Angeles. The active procurement phase is scheduled for some time in 2022 with an anticipated completion date of 2023. The most immediate project is a roof replacement. This project has a budget of $32.6 million.

After lengthy debate on Capitol Hill, the House of Representatives passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on November 6 that will invest approximately $1.2 trillion in the country’s roads, public transit, airports, internet, and other infrastructure.

The legislation, which includes $550 billion in new spending, will reauthorize surface transportation programs for five years and invest $110 billion in additional funding to repair roads and bridges across the country and support major, transformational projects.

Elimination of lead service pipes is a major component in the deal’s $55 billion investment to expand access to safe drinking water in homes, businesses, schools, and child-care centers with specific attention paid to Tribal Nations and disadvantaged communities.

The act will deliver $65 billion to help ensure every American has access to reliable high-speed internet through an investment in broadband infrastructure deployment. The legislation also will help lower prices for internet service and help close the digital divide.

In total, the new and extended authorizations provide $89.9 billion in funding for public transit over the next five years. The legislation will expand public transit options across every state in the country, replace thousands of deficient transit vehicles, including buses, with clean, zero emission vehicles, and improve accessibility for the elderly and people with disabilities.

The legislation will invest $17 billion in port infrastructure and waterways and $25 billion in airports to address repair and maintenance backlogs, reduce congestion and emissions near ports and airports, and drive electrification and other low-carbon technologies.

By investing $66 billion in additional passenger rail funding, the legislation targets elimination of the Amtrak maintenance backlog, modernization of the Northeast Corridor, and delivery of world-class rail service to areas outside the northeast and mid-Atlantic.

Additionally, more than $65 billion will be invested in energy transmission and the nation’s electrical grid to upgrade power infrastructure, build resilient transmission lines, and fund new programs to support the development, demonstration, and deployment of advanced energy technologies.

The legislation is designed to make the country’s communities safer and infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of climate change and cyberattacks, with an investment of over $50 billion to protect against droughts, heat, floods, and wildfires, in addition to a major investment in weatherization.

Efforts to clean up Superfund and brownfield sites, reclaim abandoned mine land, and cap orphaned oil and gas wells will receive $21 billion. These projects will remediate environmental damage, address legacy pollution, and advance environmental justice.

Plans for a national network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers in the U.S will benefit from $7.5 billion for deployment of EV chargers along highway corridors and within communities.

President Biden said in a statement that he plans to sign the bill into law.

New York – Gov. Kathy Hochul recently unveiled a revamped development plan for Penn Station that is designed to reduce density, increases transit access, and invests in affordable housing.

The plan prioritizes the reconstruction of the existing station while the station expansion and the Gateway Project rail initiatives adhere to their federally established timelines.

Key features of the new proposal include:

As the Western Hemisphere’s busiest transit hub, the current Penn Station serves more passengers than LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy, and Newark airports. The relocation of Amtrak’s operations to the new Moynihan Train Hall provides the opportunity to overhaul Penn Station, eliminating the bulk of the first subterranean level.

Removing that level allows planners to open the main concourse to natural light, improving retail and other user amenities, increasing safety and security, significantly expanding passenger circulation areas, expanding entrances and exits, and making passenger navigation easier.

Reconstruction of the station is expected to cost between $6 billion and $7 billion and will take place between four and five years after the commencement of construction.

Oregon – The board of directors at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) approved $650 million in funding to expand OHSU Hospital on Marquam Hill to serve as a high-acuity trauma facility and regional referral center for patients.

Work on the five-year project will begin in spring 2022, with completion expected in 2026 on the site of the former OHSU School of Dentistry.

It will add 152 licensed inpatient medical and surgical beds and provide shelled space for an additional 32 beds.

The net total of 184 new inpatient beds will increase hospital capacity by about a third. The project also will increase the number of adult inpatient operating rooms from 25 to 31.

Funding will allow for the inpatient hospital bed expansion, an additional 26,000 square feet for operating rooms, and possible improvements to labor and delivery as well as intensive care services for infants later this fiscal year.

In 2019, the OHSU board approved funding to design an OHSU Hospital expansion, but the project was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maine – The Public Utilities Commission of Maine released a request for information (RFI) regarding the feasibility of a statewide online, multi-user energy data platform.

Available energy use data in the state of Maine is somewhat limited in views of meter readings and export of data requests.

The proposed platform will gather data from six Maine utilities – two electric utilities serving 95 percent of the state in addition to four natural gas utilities.

There is a desire by several different entities for access to energy use information (electric and gas) for a variety of reasons, many related to reducing energy use or modifying sources of energy to shrink greenhouse gas emissions in the state.

Prospective users of the platform also are interested in aggregated data, from the concept of a building to several buildings of certain use types.

At a high level, the concept is for the platform to be able to provide electric and gas usage information for these categories:

Therefore, the commission is exploring what systems, software, and tools may be available in the marketplace to support this access to individual and aggregate energy usage data for multiple user types and from multiple energy sources.

RFI submissions are due by 5 p.m. local time November 29.

Florida – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded $424.2 million in financing to Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department to support upgrades that will eliminate the use of ocean outfalls and increase resiliency.

Financial assistance from the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) will go toward multiple efforts to improve water quality and help meet regulatory requirements by enhancing wastewater treatment processes in Miami-Dade County’s north and central districts.

The projects will increase the system’s climate resiliency by modernizing facilities to be better protected and able to operate during extreme weather events. The initiative involves improvements to wastewater treatment processes, rehabilitation of a sewer pump station, and construction of new injection well pump stations.

Total project costs are estimated at $865.8 million to improve the system that serves 1.8 million people.

The Ocean Outfall Legislation (OOL) requires utilities in Southeast Florida to reduce the practice of discharging wastewater into the ocean using existing ocean outfalls and consists of 24 major construction projects totaling over $2 billion.

As a consultant on the Strategic Partnerships, Inc. (SPI) Team, Dr. James Willey leverages his 25 years of experience as a postsecondary and K-12 leader and an innovative change agent.

James served as a college campus president and chancellor in one of Indiana’s largest postsecondary institutions. He also served as a superintendent at a public school district and as a K-12 principal. James has a proven track record as an innovative educational leader in local and statewide school improvement initiatives and college restructuring.

Drawing from his specialized training as an Indiana law enforcement officer, battalion fire chief, EMS responder, and school safety specialist, he is a published authority on school surveillance and safety.

James has served on multiple local and regional economic development boards and commissions and as a training adviser to local economic development organizations in their work with national and international site selection teams.

He holds a Doctor of Education in educational administration and supervision from Ball State University, a teaching certification from Indiana Wesleyan University, and a bachelor’s degree in political science and criminal justice from Marion College. James brings another distinctive area of expertise to the SPI Team of consultants and researchers.

Oklahoma – More than 70 percent of voters approved Yukon Public Schools’ two bond propositions on November 9 that totaled $194.26 million for new facility construction, renovations, technology, and maintenance projects.

One of the largest items in Proposition 1 is a new $59.36 million performing arts and college career center. The addition of the center will provide space for the district to add programs focused on space/aeronautics, health and nursing, media production, and 12 other classrooms.

Proposition 1 included funding to build a new $32 million indoor activity center, renovate the district’s elementary schools for $26.01 million, and upgrade technology such as software, computer hardware, network infrastructure, and security cameras for $29.04 million.

The district’s initial focus for the construction piece of the bond issue will be the revitalization of its elementary classrooms beginning in June 2022. The elementary schools will receive new playground equipment as well as new carpet, furniture, and classroom technology. The bond issue allocates approximately $3 million per site to revitalize the classrooms, and additional funding has been set aside for the playgrounds.

Proposition 2 will provide $5 million to acquire vehicles for student transportation.

Oregon – In a partnership with Benton Area Transit, the Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments (OCWCOG) issued a shared request for information (RFI) on brokerage and dispatch software.

The council of governments and transit authority are both exploring options for upgrading their dispatch software which does not provide many features of newer, cloud-based Software as a Service products.

OCWCOG is seeking input on upgrading its Ride Line Brokerage software for non-emergency medical transportation while Benton Area Transit is interested in updating its paratransit qualification, and overall dispatch software.

Ride Line uses the Oregon Brokerage System, which is outdated and lacks the general functionality of many solutions available today. It requires many work arounds to function properly, and OCWCOG’s Information Technology Department is skeptical the software will function for much longer.

Benton Area Transit performs eligibility qualification internally, through other county departments. Billing passengers is cumbersome, and staff struggle to separate paratransit and demand response programs with the current software system.

Responses to the RFI are due by 11:59 p.m. November 17. In addition to responding to the RFI, interested vendors are invited to give a 15-minute virtual presentation between 10 a.m. and noon PST December 2.

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has selected three airports to be eligible for grants to add civilian aviation operations at former and current military airfields, adding system capacity and helping to reduce congestion at existing airports.

Kelly Field in San Antonio, Mobile Downtown Airport, and Salina Regional Airport will now be able to apply for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants.

The Military Airport Program (MAP) provides funding as a set aside of the AIP to help increase civilian aviation capacity at current or former military airports by funding projects such as surface parking lots, fuel farms, hangars, utility systems, access roads, cargo buildings, and other airfield-related infrastructure.

This is the first time these three airports have participated in the program. The FAA will work with each airport to determine specific funding needs.

Kelly Field, a joint-use general aviation airport, will participate in the program for five years. The FAA may be able to provide funds for developing a building, parking lot, aircraft parking apron, hangar, and connector taxiways.

Mobile Downtown Airport, a primary non-hub airport located on the former Brookley Air Force Base, also will participate in the program for five years. The FAA has identified potential funding for utility construction, improving airport drainage, parking lot construction, and an apron reconstruction project.

Salina Regional Airport, a primary non-hub airport on the former Schilling Air Force Base, may receive funds to rehabilitate a fuel farm and parking lot. The airport will be in the program for four years.

With three new airports joining the program, seven airports are now eligible for MAP funding in Fiscal Year 2022. Airports already in the program are: Tipton Airport in Odenton, Maryland; Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport in Killeen, Texas; Roswell International Air Center in Roswell, New Mexico; and Sawyer International Airport in Gwinn, Michigan.

Indiana – Councilmembers for the city of Indianapolis are set to review a request in December from IndyGo, the city’s public transit agency, to borrow $65 million for several capital projects including a $35 million bus garage.

Noting that the agency is running out of space to store buses, IndyGo recently presented its case for funding to the Municipal Corporations Committee which voted to recommend the finance plan. Project scope for the proposed garage features two stories with a 150-bus capacity and equipment improvements to two buildings.

To provide enough buses for the under-construction Purple Line and other routes, the agency plans to order 30 electric buses for $42 million. Other projects in need of financing are an estimated $10 million upgrade to IndyGo’s computer-aided dispatch system and a $6.6 million initiative to build an underpass at Rural Street.

Renovations to the mobility services facility on Michigan Street are planned for $4.5 million to upgrade a paratransit facility and build a vehicle storage facility.

Tennessee – Montgomery County released a request for information (RFI) for vendor input on human resources information systems (HRIS).

The module must be separately purchasable within an entire Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) suite, with the option for other modules within the suite to be acquired and added later.

In addition, the HRIS module must interface with existing ERP software by fully communicating or interfacing with the county’s current payroll system, including the ability to export timesheet data.

It must be a web-based solution that is accessible from most web browsers and feature an integrated timekeeping system.

The desired HRIS will allow for:

Other requirements include reports and data analysis and output and export of data, forms, and documents to print and email.

The deadline for RFI responses is 1 p.m. local time November 23.

Idaho – Moscow councilmembers indicated their support for the city to contribute to the terminal expansion at Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport.

The project incorporates a flexible design to grow with the region over time by supporting anticipated passenger growth and additive air service opportunities.

Airport representatives are seeking financial backing from stakeholders such as neighboring counties, the University of Idaho, and Washington State University. Additional funding is coming from: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES); and local funds.

The airport authority has secured $51 million in FAA Airport Improvement Program/CARES funding for design and construction of the proposed two-level 50,300-square-foot terminal.

Construction bid packages are scheduled for bidding in March 2022 with completion in June 2023 and terminal opening in winter 2023.

California – Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) appointed Kristin Warsinski as its chief executive officer, effective December 31. Warsinski most recently served as RTA’s director of planning. Before that, she was the agency’s grants manager and planning and programming specialist.

Arkansas – The president of the Arkansas State University System announced the selection of Dr. Charles Ambrose as the next chancellor of Henderson State University, effective November 15. Ambrose most recently served as president and chief executive officer of a national education foundation. He previously served as president of the University of Central Missouri and president of Pfeiffer University in North Carolina.

Virginia – The Charlottesville City Council appointed Marc Woolley as interim city manager on November 5. Woolley served most recently as business administrator for the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Prior to that, he was deputy general counsel, chief compliance officer, and corporate secretary for a private trust company.

North Dakota – The state’s chief information officer announced Michael Gregg as North Dakota’s chief information security officer (CISO). Gregg was acting as interim CISO and prior to that was the director of cyber operations for the state.

North Carolina – Nash County selected Stacie Shatzer as its new county manager, effective December 15. Currently the assistant county manager, Shatzer began her career with the county as the coordinator for its Office on Aging. In 2016, she became the director of the Recreation and Senior Services Department.

Indiana – Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority has named Justin Treft as director of fixed base operations. Treft brings eight years of supervision and airline fueling and training experience, previously serving as line service manager and safety officer.

Mary Scott Nabers, Publisher

Devin Monk, Editor

Government Contracting Pipeline, a publication of Strategic Partnerships, Inc., is a free, weekly newsletter detailing important happenings nationwide and the premier source for federal, state, and local government news and contracting opportunities.