Month: February 2023

Source: United States General Services Administration

February 14, 2023

The draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Castro port modernization and new commercial port projects has been completed

DOUGLAS, Ariz. — The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) will host a public scoping meeting for the final draft of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the two Land Port of Entry (LPOE) projects planned in Douglas, Arizona. The public is invited to attend the meeting on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, from 4 to 6 p.m. local time at the Douglas Visitor Center at 345 16th Street. The meeting will be conducted in an informal open house format, where project information will be displayed and distributed.

The open house format will encourage discussion and information sharing through opportunities for the public to speak one-on-one with GSA representatives. No formal presentation will be provided. The purpose of the EIS is to analyze the potential impacts of the modernization and expansion of the Raul Hector Castro LPOE, and construction of the new, dedicated commercial port project funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Built in 1933 and upgraded in 1993, the current Castro LPOE is unable to meet current commercial, pedestrian, and privately owned vehicle crossing traffic volumes. The planned project would replace the current, outdated buildings with new, expanded facilities which will enhance the federal inspection agencies’ ability to accomplish their missions and help reduce crossing wait times. Furthermore, commercial inspections would be relocated to a new commercial facility to be built 4.5 miles west of the Castro LPOE and away from Douglas’ downtown area.

What: Environmental Impact Statement Public Scoping Meeting

When: Wednesday, February 22 from 4 to 6 p.m. local time

Where: Douglas Visitor Center, 345 16th Street, Douglas, Arizona

Who: General public

Members of the public may also submit written comments via email to osmahn.kadri@gsa.gov. Comments must be received by Monday, March 13, and include “Douglas LPOE Public Scoping Comment” in the subject line.

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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.

Source: United States General Services Administration

February 10, 2023

Award represents major milestone, kicking off master planning efforts

TUCSON, Ariz. — The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced its selection of Line and Space, LLC, a small business based in Tucson, Arizona, to provide Architecture and Engineering services for the modernization and expansion of the Raul Hector Castro Land Port of Entry (LPOE) in Douglas, Arizona. The $3.6 million contract is funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

The Raul Hector Castro LPOE is a regional economic engine critical to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) mission, yet it is undersized and can no longer accommodate current traffic volumes. The modernization and expansion project would address this by processing privately owned vehicles and pedestrians at the existing port, while relocating commercial vehicle inspection to a new, planned commercial port five (5) miles west. Line and Space, LLC will develop a master plan design and draft preliminary concept documents to accomplish this goal. When completed, the modernized Castro LPOE and the new commercial port will transform Douglas into a 21st-century regional tourism gateway and commercial transportation hub.

“The AE services contract award is an important milestone for the port modernization and expansion project,” said GSA Regional Administrator Sukhee Kang. “It sets the stage for developing preliminary design documents, accelerating contracting efforts and overall project delivery. This project is another example of how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is boosting local economies, strengthening critical supply chains, engaging small businesses, and creating good-paying American jobs.”

“The Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry serves as an economic engine for Douglas and the first line of defense in stopping dangerous drugs and people from entering Southern Arizona,” said Senator Kyrsten Sinema. “I’m incredibly proud that the bipartisan infrastructure law I wrote and negotiated provides the funds needed to modernize this crucial port – boosting economic opportunities and strengthening national security.”

“Since I toured the Raul H. Castro port with Mayor Huish and CBP personnel during my first weeks in office, one of my top priorities has been to move forward with modernizing it while creating a new commercial port,” said Senator Mark Kelly. “Completing this project will not only improve cross-border traffic and trade, but it will also help strengthen border security by putting in place better technology to combat illegal drug smuggling. This contract award is an important step forward, and I look forward to continuing to work with Administrator Carnahan and state and local officials to get this done.”

“This next phase of the modernization of the Douglas Port of Entry is the result of federal funding from President Biden’s and Congressional Democrats’ Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said Rep. Raúl Grijalva. “I’m pleased to see these funds being used to improve cross-border transit, tourism, and commercialization in this southern border community. I look forward to the next phase of this project and will continue to support economic development in Douglas and across the borderlands.”

“The City of Douglas is excited about this important next step in modernization of the Raul Hector Castro LPOE,” said Mayor Donald Huish. “The port is a driver of our region’s economy and our partnership with the General Services Administration continues to pay dividends for the citizens of Douglas and Cochise County. We are excited to see this progress.”

GSA is responsible for constructing and maintaining LPOEs along the nation’s borders in partnership with and support of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Customs and Border Protection and other federal inspection agencies. Through the BIL, GSA is modernizing over 20 LPOEs along the Canadian and Mexican borders. These upgrades will strengthen supply chains, create good-paying jobs, enhance safety and security, and provide sustainable solutions to keep these ports operating efficiently and effectively for years to come.

Learn more about the Raul Hector Castro Land Port of Entry at gsa.gov/castro.

Source: United States General Services Administration

February 9, 2023

WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) launched the Applied AI Healthcare Challenge, a prize competition seeking diverse and practical solutions to help federal agencies provide the highest level of medical care.

This challenge focuses on improving healthcare outcomes in these areas:

• Mental Health: AI technologies applied to mental health data to identify potential treatments.
• Addiction and the Opioid Epidemic: AI technologies to help public service agencies identify trends to detect and intervene earlier.
• Equity: AI to improve outcomes for populations disproportionately impacted by illness or disease.
• Supply Chain and Safety: AI to improve access to and safety of medications and supplies.
• Cancer: Research-based AI detection models to help detect cancers earlier and improve outcomes.

The Centers of Excellence (CoE) is working in partnership with Challenge.gov, both housed within GSA’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS), a part of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, to invite teams with new and existing AI technologies to participate in this competition as part of the Year of Open Science.

In particular, GSA encourages large and small enterprises, women-owned, minority-owned, small disadvantaged, and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses to participate.

“Technology Transformation Services drives innovation by partnering with technologists in all sectors to identify, demonstrate, test, and prove out technology products that improve delivery of government services and benefits. The Applied AI Healthcare Challenge helps the public and private sector work together to identify promising new AI technology products that support healthcare services and initiatives, centering accessibility, privacy, and customer experience,” said TTS Director and FAS Deputy Commissioner Ann Lewis. “We are relying on our Open Government and Open Science principles to help the federal government expand its AI capabilities.”

This is the latest in GSA’s AI Challenge series, which launched last April. With over 120 participants from private and public sectors, the first challenge showed how increased public engagement can advance the impact of technology in government. The challenge also showed federal agencies how emerging AI can increase resilience during crises and better serve the public daily.

Participants will compete for four $25,000 prizes. Details to participate include:

• Submissions are due by March 20, 2023.
• Winners will be announced May 12, 2023.
• Up to 16 finalists will be selected to present at the Applied AI Health Challenge Industry Day on May 2, 2023.

“The Centers of Excellence delivers impact using best practices and technologies from the private sector to meet federal agency needs,” said Jennifer Rostami, Executive Director of the Centers of Excellence. “This partnership with Challenge.gov is an exciting opportunity for organizations, ranging from startups to nonprofits, to share their innovative AI technologies with the federal government.”

Visit the Applied AI Healthcare Challenge landing page to submit your technology or product. Follow @GSACoE on Twitter for challenge updates.

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About the CoE: Housed within GSA’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS), the Centers of Excellence specializes in accelerating IT modernization at federal agencies by leveraging private sector innovation while centralizing best practices and expertise for holistic transformation.

About Challenge.gov: TTS’ Challenge.gov program supports federal agencies to mature and scale the use of prize competitions in order to advance their missions. Through the Challenge.gov website, federal agencies can engage public solvers in challenges and prize competitions to identify innovative solutions to critical issues. Challenge.gov serves to support federal employees who seek to use prize competitions as a mechanism for sourcing innovation and solving problems.

About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people.

For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us @USGSA.