3 tips for public sector leaders looking to take advantage of federal funding for infrastructure

Written by Bill Symon

State and local government agencies have come to love some of the recent alphabet soup cooked up on Capitol Hill. There was the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Securities (CARES) Act, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA) and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) to aid communities with pandemic response and recovery. ARP included $122 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, giving K-12 districts access to critical funding that can be used for updating, renovating and reopening schools. More recently, the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) promises much-needed financial support and relief to strained communities.

Thanks to these pieces of Congressional legislation, there has been a historic outpouring of federal funding into states, counties, cities, towns, school districts and other public entities over the past two years.

While the legislation may at times seem like it’s a gift with a shiny red bow on top, it can also feel like a gift wrapped in nothing but layers of red tape. This influx of federal funds has resurfaced a major challenge that public sector procurement officials must navigate to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. With typically short cycle times to distribute the funds, government professionals must stay on their toes and position themselves to take advantage of every opportunity.

The empirical results of a recent survey of 200 state and local government and education professionals from across the U.S., which was conducted by Gordian and the Government Business Council, show that the public sector is still working on connecting with the curveball that is federal funding. Once the connection happens, public sector leaders need to round the bases to bring the funding home and score for their communities. Here are three tips for leaders working to take advantage of federal funding for infrastructure projects.

Tip 1: Use it or lose it
Unused federal funding abounds. Sixty-five percent of state professionals, 46 percent of municipal professionals and just 16 percent of K-12 schools have accessed some funding but have yet to make use of all financial resources at their disposal. State and local leaders must look for ways to maximize all the funding sources available, including at the state level, to support the needs of their constituents. These funding opportunities come with strict deadlines. It is critical that leaders are informed of deadlines as to not miss out on essential funding.

Tip 2: Study qualifications and requirements
Funding uncertainty permeates the public sector. Forty-five percent of public sector leaders report being unsure which projects would qualify for funding and 43 percent are unsure how to comply with regulations related to federal funding. Highly reliable and accurate sources of information are available from the government for reference, including the complete legislative texts, interim and final rules, additional memos and official White House guidance documentation.

Tip 3: Prioritize critical needs
Infrastructure needs are everywhere. Eighty-four percent of public sector leaders say that state and federal funding could help them build or reinforce infrastructure projects. A further 79 percent note the need to stabilize aging facilities and manage deferred maintenance. Prioritizing needs based on the available funding opportunities is a critical tip to help leaders invest in what matters most for their communities, which are in dire need according to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ latest report card. The ASCE graded U.S. infrastructure at a C-, noting that 43 percent of public roadways are in poor or mediocre condition and that the U.S. loses an estimated 6 billion gallons of treated water each day because a water main breaks every two minutes. Funding could help local leaders shore up these deficiencies.

To act as reasonable and transparent stewards of federal funding and maintain the physical assets upon which their communities rely, public sector leaders are wise to move quickly to compete for, obtain and use funding, stay informed about qualifications and compliance requirements, and prioritize critical needs.

From facility condition assessments and capital planning solutions that empower decision makers to prioritize needs and risks to Job Order Contracting for transparent project delivery that enables the procurement office to track and report every spending decision, solutions exist to help the public sector to be nimble and move rapidly to address citizens’ concerns and navigate mazes of bureaucratic red tape.

Bill Symon, sales director at Gordian, is an accomplished business development and sales leader with experience working with state, local government and education public sector officials to help them maintain the physical assets upon which their communities rely.