Big changes are in the works, and it is important to take note and prepare for a somewhat altered existence. The last 12 months have been unlike anything most of us have ever experienced, and the new year has started off with numerous surprises.

Until recently, we talked of returning to a normal, more traditional way of life. But, that picture has changed and chances are great that many of the changes we initially resisted are now the future norm. To be successful, we will need to adjust as quickly as possible.

At Strategic Partnerships, Inc., we work with companies from every industry sector, and we deal with government at every jurisdictional level throughout the country. Our researchers provide information and customized business intelligence in all 50 states. We monitor what is happening in Congress daily. Because of this, we get a comprehensive overview of activity in government and business on a regular basis. Our unique vantage point provides insight that we share with clients. It seems fitting to share these perspectives occasionally with readers of our newsletters as well. The following remarks are based totally on the direction that data indicates we are moving.

America is emerging from a dark place where we experienced COVID, extreme partisan dissention, racial issues, business failures, massive unemployment, curtailed travel, the ravages of climate change, and far less family time. Citizens everywhere are feeling a bit of relief. But, as the chaos subsides and we step into a new year, change is evident.

Protocols have shifted, new patterns have emerged, risk is more critical, and business and government will be conducted in new ways.

California – The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) joined a growing list of governmental agencies potentially affected by a data breach at a Seattle-based address verification company.

Automatic Funds Transfer Services, Inc. (AFTS) of Seattle was the victim of a ransomware attack in early February that may have compromised information provided to AFTS by the DMV, including the last 20 months of California vehicle registration records that contain names, addresses, license plate numbers, and vehicle identification numbers (VIN).

Upon being notified of the potential breach, the DMV immediately stopped all data transfers to AFTS and notified law enforcement, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The DMV is initiating an emergency contract with a different address verification company and reviewing processes with AFTS to determine the further security enhancements needed to prevent future breaches.

Several Washington cities, including Redmond, Kirkland, and Monroe reported their utility billing records had been compromised by the ransomware attack on AFTS earlier in the month.

Kirkland officials said the information stored in the AFTS databases is limited to data necessary to fulfill utility billing and payment processing of paper check payments.

Wisconsin – Gov. Tony Evers is prioritizing education, administration, and corrections building projects in his 2021-23 Capital Budget released on February 22.

Evers’ draft budget addresses deferred maintenance and life safety issues in state-owned buildings, as well as maximizing and modernizing state and higher education facilities while also supporting sustainable designs.

More than $1 billion would go toward facility improvements at University of Wisconsin System campuses including $116.73 million for a Science and Technology Innovation Center at the system’s River Falls campus, $96.3 million for construction of the Cofrin Technology and Education Center at its Green Bay campus, $96 million to replace Albertson Hall at Stevens Point, $92.8 million for the second phase of the Prairie Springs Science Center at La Crosse, and $88.44 million for a College of Letters and Science Academic Building at Madison.

If approved, the state would spend $163.63 million on a new 283,000-square-foot state office building and 1,000-stall parking structure for the Department of Administration. The new facility will be constructed on a new parcel at the southwest corner of North 27th Street and West Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Milwaukee. The construction bid date is scheduled for June 2022. Building would commence in August 2022 with final completion set for February 2025.

More than $186.9 million would go to the Department of Health Services, including $44 million to go toward the $65.95 million expansion of the juvenile treatment center at Mendota Mental Health Institute and $23.87 million to renovate the Central Wisconsin Center Food Service Building.

The Department of Corrections would get $119.12 million to fulfill its major project requests, which include $45.8 million for a new juvenile corrections facility in Milwaukee County and $53 million for new health services units at the Stanley, Dodge, and Green Bay correctional institutions and the Wisconsin Security Program Facility.

State Building Commission members will meet March 17 to vote on the governor’s Capital Budget recommendations.

Nevada – Transportation officials provided an overview on February 16 of $7.8 billion in passenger and freight rail expansion projects that are included in a newly released draft state rail plan.

The plan outlines options to improve and integrate rail through local and private sector investment in eight regions of the state. Rail improvements listed in the plan become eligible for federal grant funding, opening the opportunity for local government and economic development partners to potentially pursue the rail improvements in the future.

Planners divided the state into eight rail regions and identified these priority projects:

The draft plan includes a project to implement the Mining Materials Supply Chain Logistics Strategy for all regions, then for all nine primary Nevada commodity groups. Rail improvements listed in the plan become eligible for federal grant funding, opening the opportunity for local government and economic development partners to potentially pursue the rail improvements in the future. The plan will be finalized following a public comment period that ends March 4.

Louisiana – The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority released a draft spending plan for Fiscal Year 2022 in which it plans to invest $887 million to fortify the state’s coast.

Major projects advancing in FY 2022:

In total, the plan features 110 active projects: 66 in construction totaling $633 million; 37 in engineering and design totaling $97.7 million; and seven planning projects totaling $10.4 million.

Public comments will be taken on the draft plan through March 27.

New Jersey – NJ TRANSIT plans to issue a request for proposals (RFP) in the coming weeks for the conceptual design, preliminary engineering, final design engineering, and construction assistance for the $250 million Walter Rand Transportation Center (WRTC) Improvement Project.

Upgrading and enlarging the existing facility is expected to take about nine months to complete. It is contemplated that the project will be constructed on the existing site in Camden.

The new WRTC building will provide accommodations for future transit developments and the potential for new retail, office, housing, and hospitality opportunities utilizing Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) design standards. The project would ultimately replace the existing facility with an expanded multi-purpose transit center that will provide an improved link for transportation in South Jersey.

The new center would better:

With the emergence of a burgeoning educational and health-care corridor in the downtown area and surrounding vicinity, a multi-million-dollar redevelopment of the nearby waterfront is being proposed to the west of downtown.

Maine – The University of Maine (UMaine) System will issue a request for qualifications (RFQ) for the design of multiple athletic venues after releasing a $110 million Athletic Facilities Master Plan.

More than $240 million from a foundation gift will be donated to the university system over the next 10 to 12 years, including $90 million to support the master plan.

UMaine Athletics expects to begin moving on the plan, with small upgrades in summer 2021 before beginning construction on the new fields in summer 2022.

The master plan features construction of the UMaine Multipurpose Center, the new home of UMaine men’s and women’s basketball on the Orono campus. This facility will feature men’s and women’s basketball locker rooms, team offices, lounges, and film rooms, administrative offices, a fan shop, and a new sports medicine center.

Other facilities included in the plan are:

Priority will be given to projects that advance gender equity like the UMaine Soccer Stadium, a modern sport-specific facility for women’s soccer.

South Carolina – The state’s Office of Technology and Information Services (OTIS) released a request for information (RFI) to assist with the development of a solicitation for Digital Government Services that could be released soon.

The office intends to begin responding to citizen demand through a procurement process designed to enhance the state’s digital government offerings.

OTIS encourages qualified service providers to share their creative ideas and information, including the latest industry trends and new emerging technology, capabilities, operating models, and business models.

These services are among those desired:

Digital Government Services are provided through SC.GOV, the official government web portal for the state of South Carolina. The portal was developed to help citizens find information and services from both state and local government offices and information relative to South Carolina all in one place. SC.GOV is managed through a public-private partnership (P3).

SC.GOV’s objective is to be at the forefront of Digital Government Services and provide citizens and agencies with state-of-the-art web services and Internet tools to facilitate business with the government in a secure, convenient, and cost-effective way.

The deadline for RFI submissions is 11 a.m. March 8.

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will award $76 million in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants to Chicago O’Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood international airports.

Dallas-Fort Worth International will receive $31 million to construct 10,200 feet of the Northeast end-around taxiway system to eliminate the need for aircraft to cross active runways. The taxiways are expected to be completed in September 2025.

Chicago O’Hare International will receive $25 million to reimburse the airport for the construction phase of Runway 9C/27C that includes site utilities, grading, and pavement work.

Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International will receive $20 million to reimburse the airport for the extension of Runway 10R/28L to 8,000 feet. The extension allows higher service volume of aircraft and reduces delay of the existing traffic.

The AIP grants fund airport infrastructure projects such as runways, taxiways, airport signage, airport lighting, and airport markings. Annually, the grant program is funded at approximately $3.2 billion.

These are the first three grants of more than 1,500 grants to hundreds of U.S. airports that the FAA will issue this year.

Pennsylvania – The board of trustees at the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) approved $48.3 million for the renovation and expansion of the Mildred and Louis Lasch Football Building at the University Park campus.

The proposal includes a number of upgrades designed to support the health and safety of student-athletes, including a first-floor weight room expansion and performance enhancement equipment upgrades.

A student-athlete development suite will help student-athletes transition from high school to college, and then from college to the professional ranks.

The plan includes sports medicine upgrades that will provide the capacity for more intensive treatments. A new hydrotherapy pool will aid in the treatment and rehabilitation of student-athletes. Training tables, taping tables, and an open rehabilitation space are designed to maximize visibility from a safety perspective. Trainer and assistant trainer offices and graduate student and student trainer workstations are included in the plans.

A new student-athlete lobby entrance and mechanical and electrical system upgrades are featured in the project that is scheduled to start this spring.

California – The city of San Diego issued a request for information (RFI) for data circuits to solicit input from the service provider marketplace relating to network services.

By releasing the RFI, the city wishes to explore and better understand the benefits and obstacles in procuring fixed-line network circuits. It is primarily interested in multi-point switched ethernet.

The overall objectives of the RFI are to:

RFI responses are due at 2 p.m. March 2.

West Virginia – The city of Wheeling is anticipating state approval of the final design of its $35 million downtown streetscape project in early March, which would allow local officials to advertise for bids.

The project is a partnership between the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) and the city that will upgrade West Virginia Route 2 on both Main Street and Market Street in Wheeling.

Improvements include repaving the streets, upgrading accessibility of sidewalks and curb ramps, as well as installing new traffic signals.

Construction is scheduled to start this summer.

Nebraska – Gov. Pete Ricketts named John Selmer as the state’s director of transportation, effective March 15. He will take over for Interim Director Moe Jamshidi who filled the position after Kyle Schneweis retired in October 2020. Selmer most recently served as director of the strategic performance division in the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation recently appointed Sultan Meghji as its first chief innovation officer. Meghji is the co-founder of a financial technology firm and has served as an adviser to the U.S. Treasury, the Group of Seven, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the FBI.

North Carolina – The University of North Carolina board of governors named Darrell Allison as chancellor of Fayetteville State University, effective March 15. He will take over for Interim Chancellor Peggy Valentine. Allison is vice president of governmental affairs and state teams at the American Federation for Children and a former member of the board of governors and former trustee at North Carolina Central University.

Washington – The Clark County Council appointed Kathleen Otto as the county manager. She had been serving as the county’s interim county manager since Shawn Henessee resigned in March 2020. Prior to that, she was deputy county manager and director of internal services and human resources.

California – The Marysville City Council appointed Jim Schaad as its new city manager, effective March 1. He will take over for Jennifer Styczynski who served as acting city manager after the termination of Marti Brown. Schaad most recently served as assistant city manager for the city of Fresno.

Louisiana – The city of Monroe selected Charles Butcher as director of the Monroe Regional Airport. He succeeds former Director Ron Philipps. Butcher most recently served as administration and operations coordinator at Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport.

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.