Michels Corp. vying to build border wall
BROWNSVILLE – A Dodge County firm is among more than 250 companies interested in designing and building a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico.
Brownsville-based Michels Corp. is the lone Wisconsin company to answer the government's early call for bids to build a wall to span the 2,000-mile border with Mexico. As of Wednesday, about 265 firms had responded to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's presolicitation for bids to build the wall, according to the agency's proposal posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website Friday.
David Stegeman, chief legal counsel for Michels, declined to comment on the company's interest in the project
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The wall could cost as much as $21.6 billion, and the government hopes to finish the project by 2020, according to a Reuters report that cites U.S. Department of Homeland Security internal paper. Congress has not yet appropriated funds for the project.
About one-third of the U.S. border with Mexico is already fortified. The plan calls for building a series of fences and walls in three phases to cover about 1,250 miles, or nearly the entire border, according to the internal report shared with Reuters. The list of companies includes several prominent firms, including defense contractor Raytheon and global architecture and engineering firm Leo A Daly.
The cost and construction timeline estimates have varied since President Donald Trump made the project a centerpiece of his campaign. Trump said the border wall would cost about $12 billion during his campaign, while congressional leaders estimated the wall could cost $15 billion.
According to its presolicitation, Customs and Border Protection will issue a formal call for bids Monday, and firms must produce prototypes by March 10. The government will narrow the field and put out a full request for proposal, with cost estimates, by March 24 and plans "multiple" contract awards by mid-April.
The Department of Homeland Security planned to fund the start of construction with existing resources. But the agency only identified $20 million that could be used for the project, enough to fund a few prototypes, but not enough to begin construction of the wall, according to a Reuters report Wednesday afternoon. For plans to move ahead, congress will need to appropriate funds.
Specializing in construction of oil and gas networks, transportation infrastructure and deep foundations, among other projects, Michels has more than 30 locations across the U.S. and Canada and employs more than 5,000 workers. Tim Michels, a co-owner of the firm, unsuccessfully challenged former Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold for his seat in 2004.
Michels Corp. has worked on numerous government projects and recently won a $6.3 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contract to remove a dam and restore sections of a river near Traverse City, Michigan. Michels has worked along the border, too: In 2014, the company installed a 2,400-foot gas pipeline under the Rio Grande River, which lines the border between Texas and Mexico.
Reach Nate Beck at 920-858-9657 or nbeck@gannett.com; on Twitter: @NateBeck9