When it comes to smart cities projects, there’s what people are saying and what people are doing. Our monthly Inside Look series tracks the latter by examining what cities are planning, soliciting and buying. Below, you’ll learn about some of the largest projects from the past month in each category. We’ve asked the experts at Onvia to prepare this report for us because they are the only ones to track all three.
And if you want a deeper look, check out Onvia Exchange, which is free for the public sector. It lets you search from millions of recent bids to download relevant projects, specifications and contract terms. — Jesse Berst
By Nick Schiffler, Onvia
Here are 10 smart city projects from the past month that were awarded to a vendor, recently put out to bid or included in an agency’s future spending plan, as identified by Onvia Exchange, available for free to city and government officials:
Recent Contract Awards
Onvia’s B2G Intelligence System (B2GIS) tracks government projects through their entire lifecycle, including contract award announcements. Here's three examples of the kinds of "smart" projects that have recently been awarded to vendors by cities across the U.S.
Transportation Planning Services – City of Detroit, MI
The City of Detroit recently approved a contract award of $18M to URS Corporation Great Lakes for the provision of transportation planning and engineering services.
System Integration – City of New York, NY
New York City awarded a $2.3M contract to Gcom Software for system integration services related to health data innovation for the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Mobile and Portable Radios – City of Redondo Beach, CA
Redondo Beach has approved a $1.7M sole source purchase of mobile and portable radios for the police and fire departments from Motorola Solutions, Inc.
Currently Open Bids and RFPs
Bids and RFPs are the bread and butter of government contracting. These smart city projects are a few examples of the kinds of contracts agencies have recently put out to bid.
Portable Tactical Robot – City of Rock Hill, SC
Rock Hill is seeking competitive bids from qualified companies to provide the city with a lightweight, wirelessly-controlled, portable tactical robot for the Rock Hill Bomb Squad.
LED Video Wall – City of Fontana, CA
Fontana released an RFP for providing a high-resolution LED video wall for displaying photos, scenery and images of artwork at the city’s library and technology training center.
Radar Traffic Counters – City of Knoxville, TN
Knoxville has an open solicitation request to provide radar traffic counters, with batteries and charging equipment, to collect speed and directional data about the city's traffic.
Road Efficiency Upgrades – City of Cincinnati, OH
Cincinnati has put out a bid for a company to furnish materials, labor, equipment and perform all work necessary for a road energy efficiency upgrade project on Reading Road.
Future Leads in Budgets and Spending Plans
Companies interested in selling smart products or services can get the most foresight by finding potential projects within agency budgets and capital spending plans. These projects provide vendors with forward visibility to make more strategic decisions. For agencies, the same information offers a look into the spending areas that local officials are beginning to budget for over the coming months and years.
Flood Control System – Town of East Hartford, CT
East Hartford’s Public Works Department has allocated more than $20M through 2021 for modifications and reconstruction on the city’s flood control system.
Information Technology Infrastructure – District of Columbia
The nation’s capital has budgeted $10.7M through 2023 to modernize the IT infrastructure and provide a high-speed, reliable and secure network for DC’s Public Schools.
Security System Replacement and Expansion – City of Norman, OK
Norman has set aside $1M in its Capital Improvement Plan for replacing an old security system in a number of buildings and replacing it with a modern, expanded security system.
Nick Schiffler is a business-to-government (B2G) market analyst and content marketer for Onvia, recently acquired by Deltek. Follow Onvia on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay up to date with the latest government market insights.
