After a statement released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Friday, we can expect to see the discussion of the border wall erected again as prototype walls will soon be developed.
The project, directed by President Trump’s Executive Order 13767, aka “Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements,” was delayed while the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviewed protests from the request for proposals (RFPs) in early 2017 to construct wall prototypes in San Diego.
Two RFPs are on the table: One for a reinforced concrete wall design and one for alternatives to a concrete wall. After review of several hundred submissions, the pool was reduced to fewer than 20 potential bidders.
CBP now expects to make prototype awards within the next weeks while noting that, with the award of contracts, unsuccessful bidders will have new opportunities to file protests, which could further delay construction.
CBP states:
The prototypes themselves will be built and evaluated in order to help us create a ‘design standard’ for operational walls. The new designs would be added to our menu of existing designs, and allow us to tailor a specific wall design to the unique demands of individual areas of the border.
CBP anticipates constructing 4-8 prototypes in the San Diego Sector Area of Responsibility because of site accessibility to construct and the ability to evaluate wall as part of a larger, existing border infrastructure system; as well as because of the operational importance of the border area in San Diego.
