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Cybersecurity
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Contracting Vehicles
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Information Technology
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Professional Services
Carahsoft added Zero Trust Cyber & AI Advisors’ cybersecurity, AI, and secure-infrastructure consulting services to its NASPO ValuePoint contract, giving public-sector buyers another cooperative purchasing channel. The offering includes zero trust, identity and access management, AI security, threat modeling, and related modernization services; no contract value, contract number, or solicitation deadline was reported.
State and other public-sector buyers can use the NASPO ValuePoint channel to access ZTCA’s advisory and transformation services; procurement teams should verify contract scope and ordering procedures before pursuing a purchase.
The service areas may be relevant to agencies planning zero-trust, identity-management, AI-security, or secure-infrastructure work.
For ZTCA and prospective subcontractors, the contract addition creates a route to public-sector buyers through Carahsoft. The announcement does not identify a specific funding amount or open solicitation.
This contract enhances our ability to support public sector organizations with the cybersecurity, AI, infrastructure and data expertise they need to address today’s technology challenges.
— Vadim Sigalov, Managing Partner at ZTCA
The addition gives agencies streamlined access to Zero Trust Cyber & AI Advisors’ public sector advisory and transformation services, enabling them to address evolving cybersecurity and technology needs.
— Steve Jacyna, Director of Innovative Cybersecurity Solutions at Carahsoft
Agencies
National Association of State Procurement Officials
Vendors
Carahsoft Technology, Zero Trust Cyber & AI Advisors (ZTCA)
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Regulatory Compliance
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Public Safety
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Information Technology
The Oklahoma Senate Public Safety Committee held an interim study on Flock automated license plate reader (ALPR) use, examining state-law limits, Fourth Amendment concerns, data accuracy, and public-safety needs. The discussion could affect Oklahoma agencies’ current and future ALPR deployments, but the study produced no identified solicitation, contract award, or procurement timetable.
Agencies and contractors involved in ALPR deployments may face uncertainty about permitted uses and access to collected data while lawmakers examine whether Oklahoma law needs clarification.
Procurement teams can review existing and planned ALPR use against the statutory limits and legal questions raised during the study; the signal does not identify a new compliance mandate or enacted change.
Companies considering Oklahoma public-safety technology opportunities should account for the possibility that future legal or policy changes could affect deployment scope and data-use provisions.
On November 10, 2026, West Virginia announced a $40 million statewide industrial site-readiness investment: $25 million for loans to develop industrial shell buildings and $15 million for grants covering site preparation. Local economic development authorities, county commissions, and municipal governments may apply, with final awards subject to approval by the relevant program board. Approved projects must begin within six months of an award, creating near-term planning needs for eligible applicants and the contractors and developers who may deliver the work.
The shell-building program offers loans of up to $5 million per project for 30,000–50,000-square-foot buildings. Future tenants must pay at least 120% of county median wages, with an expectation of one job per 750 square feet.
Site-readiness grants can support environmental assessments, engineering, grading, utilities, and other preparation for manufacturing, research and development, and distribution sites.
Local authorities and prospective project teams can use the state’s available-sites page for application details and program guidance. Contractors and developers should coordinate with eligible public applicants as projects are assembled.
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Artificial Intelligence
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Regulatory Compliance
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Information Technology
New York opened a registration portal on November 10, 2026, ahead of the RAISE Act taking effect January 1, 2027. Covered frontier AI developers operating in the state—with more than $500 million in annual revenue—must register, publish safety frameworks and model-transparency reports, and report critical safety incidents within 72 hours; violations can result in fines of up to $1 million initially and $3 million for subsequent violations. The state also launched the New York Center for AI Responsibility and Research at Binghamton University, where roughly 80 researchers will conduct independent testing and safety research using computing capacity developed through Empire AI. No solicitation, contract award, or vendor selection was announced.
AI developers should determine whether they meet the law’s coverage criteria and prepare for registration and required safety, transparency, and incident-reporting disclosures by January 1, 2027.
Contractors serving covered developers can assess demand for safety documentation, independent testing, incident-response, and compliance support; the requirements apply to covered developers, not automatically to their contractors.
The new institute may create future research, testing, computing, or recruitment opportunities, but the announcement does not identify a procurement vehicle, budget, or solicitation.
On January 19, 2023, Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced executive orders on ethics and the creation of the Maryland Department of Service and Civic Innovation. The announcement provides no contract opportunities, funding, solicitations, or procurement contacts, so it does not establish an immediate sourcing opportunity for contractors. Procurement professionals should distinguish this organizational announcement from a procurement notice; any future requirements would need to be identified through subsequent department announcements.
The newly created department is the primary organizational development relevant to potential future state requirements.
No contract value, solicitation schedule, vendor selection, or procurement contact is provided in the release.
Illinois EPA is inviting Illinois fleet operators to submit diesel vehicle and equipment replacement projects for possible inclusion in the state’s application to the 2026 U.S. EPA Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) National Program. The Call for Partners is a state-level solicitation for candidate projects, not a federal award. Proposals are limited to two pages and are due December 4, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CST; individual federal awards may be up to $12 million.
Fleet operators should submit project details covering eligible replacement equipment, expected emissions reductions, costs, nonfederal cost-share availability, and implementation feasibility.
Key deadline: Proposals are due December 4, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CST (23 days from November 11, 2026). Submit questions and proposals to EPA.DERAgrants@Illinois.gov.
Contractors and equipment providers can use the solicitation to identify potential fleet replacement projects and support applicants with project costs, emissions-reduction estimates, and implementation planning. Selection for Illinois’s application would not guarantee a federal award.
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Grants & Funding
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Digital Infrastructure
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Energy & Utilities
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Environment
On November 9, 2026, the U.S. Geological Survey awarded $1,685,806 in matching grants to 26 state geological surveys through the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program. The awards fund preservation, cataloging, digitization, and improved access to geoscientific records and physical samples used in energy and critical-mineral exploration, groundwater work, and hazard planning. This is a completed grant award, not a new federal solicitation; contractors may find work by engaging with participating state agencies and their projects.
The federal award is matched by state funding, supporting state-led projects that may require data digitization, database development, sample storage, or geochemical analysis.
Companies offering these capabilities can identify relevant state geological surveys and explore opportunities to support their grant-funded work through state procurement or partnerships.
The program’s focus on preserving and making existing geologic data accessible points to demand for services that improve data management and access, rather than a single centralized federal contract.
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Physical Infrastructure
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Grants & Funding
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Digital Infrastructure
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Construction & Infrastructure
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Energy & Utilities
The United States and Zambia signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding on March 30, 2023, to encourage U.S. private-sector participation in strategic commercial projects in Zambia. The framework spans agriculture, energy, mining, manufacturing, healthcare, digital services, tourism, education, and transportation; it identifies potential U.S. agency support and financing channels but creates no funding obligation, procurement commitment, or guarantee of awards. Activities are intended to continue for five years, through March 30, 2028, and companies negotiate commercial terms directly with the Zambian government as applicable.
The MOU is a framework for market engagement, not a solicitation or award. Companies should assess specific project opportunities and establish direct commercial discussions with relevant Zambian counterparts.
U.S. firms may find potential support through agencies identified in the extracted entities, including USTDA, USAID, and DFC; the MOU itself does not guarantee financing or agency support for any individual project.
The broad sector scope creates possible entry points for firms across infrastructure, energy, digital, healthcare, and other listed industries. Businesses should distinguish prospective opportunities from funded procurements and evaluate each project’s commercial terms independently.
On November 10, 2026, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded $4 million across eight Agriculture and Food Research Initiative projects supporting conventional plant breeding and cultivar development. Five universities received awards: Michigan State University, Montana State University, South Dakota State University, the University of California, Davis, and the University of Missouri. Michigan State received two project awards and UC Davis received three. The funding announcement is complete, not an open solicitation, and signals federal support for public breeding research and locally adapted cultivars.
Why this matters: Universities and research organizations can use the awards as an indication of NIFA’s support for conventional breeding and cultivar development when shaping research portfolios and potential collaborations.
The awards span institutions in Michigan, Montana, South Dakota, California, and Missouri, reflecting geographically distributed public research activity.
Contractors and research-service providers may find opportunities to support awarded projects through research, testing, or related services; the announcement does not identify a new solicitation or procurement deadline.
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced awards on November 10, 2026, for 21 projects under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Critical Agricultural Research and Extension (CARE, A1701) program. The projects integrate research, Extension, and stakeholder engagement to improve agricultural and food systems, with a focus on food safety and food defense. The announcement’s headline cites $10.4 million, while its body reports $5 million; this is an award announcement, not a new solicitation.
Applicants and contractors should verify the award total against NIFA’s funded-project records before relying on either figure for market analysis or planning.
The awards indicate federal support for integrated food-safety and food-defense research and Extension activities; organizations with relevant capabilities can use the 21 funded projects to understand the program’s areas of investment.
Because funding has already been awarded, this announcement does not itself create an open bid opportunity. Organizations seeking future work should distinguish these awards from a solicitation.
On November 10, 2026, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced $3.69 million in awards for 14 projects through its Insular Areas grant programs. The projects support education, agricultural research, distance learning, and facilities and equipment in Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These are announced grant awards, not an open solicitation; they may nevertheless lead recipient institutions to purchase instructional technology, scientific equipment, or facility improvements.
Contractors can use the funded project areas to identify potential needs in educational technology, agricultural research equipment, and facilities work, then confirm plans and purchasing requirements with recipient institutions.
The awards span several grant programs, including distance education, resident instruction, and facilities and equipment, so potential opportunities may arise through institution-level purchasing rather than a single NIFA contract.
