As of Tuesday evening, more than 200 companies — mostly construction and engineering firms — had expressed interest in building the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to Federal Business Opportunities, a free web-based portal that allows vendors to review federal procurement opportunities over $25,000. Companies such as Caddell Construction, engineering firms and top defense contractor Raytheon are also included in the list. In fact, several small businesses, including 20 owned by Hispanic-Americans, have applied for the bid, the Hill reported.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a notice last week about its intention to provide contractors an opportunity to offer proposals for the design and building of “several prototype wall structures in the vicinity of the United States border with Mexico,” CNN reported.
The cost of building this controversial border wall will be more than $21 billion, according to DHS. Although the decision led to protests, construction and building material companies reportedly stand to gain from this move.
“The whole sector has moved up simultaneously; it isn’t just us,” US Concrete CEO William Sandbrook told MarketWatch in January. “A similar move higher happened in the days after the election. That faded, and now that Trump is actually in office, the move has crystallized as there’s new anticipation that these policies will come to fruition. Stocks always trade on future expectations, so to the extent his executive order bolsters the thesis of increased spending on our products, that’s what we’re seeing happen now.”
The border wall was a major focus of Trump’s election campaign and now he is speeding ahead with his plans. He hopes to complete the construction by the end of his first term.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly met with their Mexican counterparts last week in Mexico City. The meeting was held amid Mexico’s rising unease and resentment over Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“We universally agreed on the importance of strengthening existing institutional mechanisms,” Tillerson said after the meeting. “The meetings were a continuation of a purposeful and productive exchange that is setting our two countries down a pathway of great security and long-term prosperity.”
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