Dive Brief:
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection will begin the bid process for the U.S.-Mexico border wall on March 6 and will start awarding contracts in April, according to the Associated Press.
- Companies have from March 6 to March 10 to submit their designs for the project, and then finalists must submit cost information by March 24.
- There is still no indication as to where construction will begin, the cost range the agency has in mind or how Congress will fund the project.
Dive Insight:
The final price for the upcoming portion of the wall will be largely dependent on design and materials specified during the bidding phase next month. Potential bidders include Granite Construction, Vulcan Materials and Martin Marietta Materials.
Last month, a Department of Homeland Security report found that construction could cost as much as $22 billion and take more than three years. The report had not yet been presented to President Donald Trump but described a border wall that would include a mix of fencing and wall, adding to the 654 miles of barrier already in place. The first phase of the project, at $360 million, would include portions of San Diego, El Paso, TX, and the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, with a second phase including construction in Arizona and Texas, according to the report.
Almost as soon as Trump was inaugurated, he signed an executive order that directed the DHS to begin expedited planning and construction of the wall. Soon after, House Republicans introduced a plan that would provide $12 billion to $15 billion for wall construction. Intertwined with immigration policy, the push for a border wall has been one of the most contentious issues of Trump's presidency thus far.
