Government opens window for building contracts - Jacksonville Business Journal:

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During the past five years, there has been a growingg government demandfor buildings, building materials and facilitiez maintenance work. In fiscal the federal government spentnearly $203 million for facilitiews maintenance and management, up from $152 milliohn in fiscal ’07. Uncle Sam also spenrt $520 million on buildings and building materials in fiscal an increasefrom $453 millionh the previous fiscal year. The agencies looking for these servicess and products span thefederao spectrum. They include the General Services the departments of Agriculture and Veterans and the individual branches ofthe military.
A convergencee of two forces in particular is opening a windowe of opportunity now for companies in thebuildingg business. The first is the push to go The new administration continues to emphasize to governmentf agencies the importance of buying more green servicedsand products. High on that list is the creation ofgreen buildings. The second factor is the American Recoverhy andReinvestment Act, better known as the stimulus act. Most stimuluss funds are highly focusedon “shovel ready” construction, renovationh and maintenance projects. The $787 billion Recoverty Act was signed intolaw Feb. 17.
Its purposes is to preserve andcreate jobs, provide investments to increases economic efficiency and boost the economy. The largest shares of GSA investment infisca ’09 has been designated for blue-collar operations and maintenance The next largest is for land and The GSA was allotted $5.5 billion to converyt federal buildings into high-performance green buildings. These buildingx generally combine energy efficiency and renewable energhy production to minimizeenergy use. The Air Forcew was allotted $1.5 billion to improve, repaird and modernize DefenseDepartmenyt facilities, restore and modernize real property including barracks, and investf in energy efficiency.
The Socialk Security Administration was givenbabout $1 billion for infrastructure including about $500 million for a new data The Bureau of Land Management was allotteds $125 million for management of lands and resourcez on all bureau including maintenance, rehabilitation and restoration of facilities, property, trailas and lands and for remediatiojn of abandoned mines and wells. The legislation provided an additionalo $180 million for other activities on all Bureah of Land Management landsincluding construction, decommissioning and repair of roads, bridges, trails, property and facilitiexs and for energy-efficient retrofits of existing facilities. The U.S.
Geologica l Survey was allotted $140 milliojn for surveys, investigations and research for construction and restoration of equipment replacementand upgrades, including stream gauges and seismic and volcano monitoringt systems; national map activities; and other critical deferredd maintenance and improvement projects. The Veterans Affairs Departmentreceived $1.2 billiom for construction and improvements at VA hospitals and otherr medical facilities, long-term care facilities serving veteransw and VA national cemeteries. That is just a If you want to do business withthe government, the best way to star t is to get a GSA Schedules contract.
The Recovery Act has createed opportunities throughout government for a broad rangdeof contractors, and most agenciews will buy those services and products throughj the GSA Schedules Program.