The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has picked a dozen companies to bid on work related to the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Construction Dive. The firms will compete for up to $5B in horizontal construction projects until the program expires in 2024.
The approved contractors are: Texas Sterling Construction Co. (based in Houston), SLS Ltd. (based in Galveston, Texas), BFBC (based in Bozeman, Montana), Bristol Construction Services LLC (Anchorage, Alaska), Burgos Group LLC (Albuquerque, New Mexico), Gibraltar-Caddell JV (Montgomery, Alabama), Fisher Sand & Gravel (Dickinson, North Dakota), Southwest Valley Constructors Co. (Albuquerque), Randy Kinder Excavating Inc. (Dexter, Missouri), Martin Brothers Construction (Sacramento, California), Posillico Civil Inc./Coastal Environmental Group Inc. JV (Farmingdale, New York) and CJW JV (Santa Ana, California).
Thirty-eight bids were received via the internet, according to the Army Corps.
The design-build and design-bid-build projects will include a mix of border barrier, patrol and access roads, lights, access gates, drainage improvements, levee walls and other improvements, repairs and alterations along the border from California to Texas, Military Times reports.
Future construction sites include the Department of Homeland Security's San Diego, El Centro, Yuma and Tucson Border Patrol sectors and the Army Corps' South-Western and South Pacific divisions, per the Army Corps. Official locations and funding will be determined with each contract. The Fort Worth office of the U.S. Army Corps is handling the contracting activity.
The program is a response to President Donald Trump's executive order in 2017 that requires the federal government to take action to ensure the safety and territorial integrity of the southern U.S. border.
In February, Trump declared a national emergency, which included up to $3.6B in military construction for a border wall. The corps could issue task orders under this program for that purpose, according to Military Times.
While the companies that can work these border projects have been selected, the funds to pay them have not. The money could come from either the Defense Department or Customs & Border Protection, per Military Times. Multiple reports show the federal government moving money around in order to fund the border wall.
