Customs and Border Protection awarded contracts to four companies to build prototypes of concrete wall concepts that could one day be built along the U.S.-Mexico border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over 30 days, the companies \u2013 Caddell Construction Co. LLC<\/b>, of Montgomery, Alabama; Fisher Sand and Gravel<\/b> (Fisher Industries), of Dickinson, North Dakota; Texas Sterling Construction Co. Inc.<\/b>, of Houston, Texas; and W.G. Yates and Sons<\/b> (Yates Construction), of Philadelphia, Mississippi \u2013 will build 30-foot-high, 30-foot-long sections near the border in San Diego, California. Once built, those prototypes will be judged based on aesthetics, how penetrable they are and the anti-climbing features being used, according to acting CBP Deputy Commissioner Ronald D. Vitiello, who announced the awards during an Aug. 31 press conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Compared to past border efforts, these awards are the result of a \u201cmore holistic view,\u201d he said. \u201cWe thought through on these action plans all of the equipment that the agents\u2019 need. This is a much safer environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The awards ranged from just under $400,000 to just under $500,000. However, Vitiello warned against using those figures to extrapolate a larger cost for the entire border, as land purchases and geographic issues mean costs could vary greatly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The prototype sections will be made largely out of concrete, though alternative materials might also be employed, Vitiello said. Additional awards for see-through, secondary wall sections closer to the immediate border will be made next week, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once built, the wall will \u201ccompliment the various other tools we employ to secure our border,\u201d Vitiello said, mentioning sensors, cameras, lighting and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also noted that these concepts will not be used along the entire 2,000-mile border. Rather, the final sections will be built \u201cwhere impedance and denial makes a difference,\u201d based on enforcement data and past immigration patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The winners were among more than 180 companies to submit proposals based on two RFPs issued by CBP in March of this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the prototype construction gets underway, CBP officials plan to work with the companies and others in industry to identify the best solutions and outline a plan to build out the wall along sections of the U.S.\u2019s southern border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPrototyping is an industry-tested approach to identify the best solution when considering a new product or methodology,\u201d CBP said in a release announcing the RFPs in March. \u201cThrough the construction of prototypes, CBP will partner with industry to identify additional means and methods to construct a border wall before making a more substantial investment in construction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vitiello said this stepped approach is meant to ensure CBP is \u201cgood stewards of our funding resources,\u201d i.e., taxpayer dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The prototypes might remain in place if they are aesthetically pleasing and otherwise meet local needs in San Diego, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf they add to the infrastructure in the San Diego area in a beneficial way, we can keep them. If not, we can move them elsewhere,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Customs and Border Protection officials announced four awards for prototype concrete border wall sections, ranging from just under $400,000 to just under $500,000.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":37505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":6,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[104,34,106,31,33,6],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2349],"class_list":["post-11878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-acquisition-update","category-breaking-news","category-daily-brief","category-home","category-newsletters","category-acquisition"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"M24DBAHXFNC4BHMW4F4M52KK6Q","arc_canonical_url":"\/acquisition\/2017\/08\/31\/cbp-picks-4-companies-to-build-border-wall-prototypes-in-30-days\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n