Feds still reviewing bids for U.S.-Mexico border wall designs

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Tuesday night that it continues to review prototype designs for a U.S.-Mexico border wall and could notify the contractors that will advance to the next phase of the project as soon as Monday. 

CBP had been silent on the status of its request for 30-foot wall-prototypes scheduled to be built this summer in the San Diego area.

No more than 20 contractors will be selected for each of the two requests: concrete designs, and "other" designs.

The agency said it will notify contractors "on or after May 8, 2017, if they have been selected to participate in Phase II of this design-build process."

Shifting deadlines

In its initial request for proposals, CBP said it would take two weeks to review submissions. Under a new timeline, the process will take a month.

The extended review could delay prototype construction, which was previously expected to begin in late June or early July. CBP hinted that contractors will have less time to complete phase two of the process: submitting a complete proposal, including construction schedules and cost. The tentative deadline is May 30.

The new timeline would give bidders 23 days to complete their proposals instead of 30 days. But CBP said once they've narrowed the field of applicants, the actual deadline will be provided to the contractors.

A spokesman said the agency would not reveal the exact number of submissions. The notice published Tuesday described "hundreds of submittals."

Where they'll be built

The Tuesday night notice said the selected bidders will visit the construction site in mid-May. The Department of Homeland Security identified the location where the prototypes will be built — in hilly terrain, at the base of the San Ysidro mountains, on the outskirts of the San Diego metro area.

CBP reiterated that the solicitation process is only for construction of prototypes, not the border wall itself. The government anticipates costs to range from $200,000 to $300,000 per prototype contract.

"The prototypes will advise the design of potential walls that could be considered for actual construction in the future," the notice stated. "Any such future construction will require an additional contract or task order action, as well as the availability of budget for that construction."

CBP's last major update on the bid process was an amendment to the request for proposals on April 1, three days before the deadline to submit the designs.

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