Trump Avoids Bidding Process for $500 Million White House Ballroom Contract

President Donald Trump's White House ballroom project is being built under a no-bid contract, the Washington Post reports.

Clark Construction, a McLean, VA-based company, is constructing the ballroom being built over the now-demolished East Wing. The company is also building the security bunker under construction beneath the ballroom project. Clark's no-bid contract has a ceiling of $500 million, the Post reports.

The costs for the project have risen over time. Taxpayers will reportedly subsidize part of the construction project, which could cost $600 million.

The 90,000-square-foot ballroom project has seen legal challenges that halted its construction for a time. Construction on the underground bunker, a far more secretive a project, has continued.

Such large government contracts are typically handled by the General Services Administration, which is the federal government's civilian landlord.

In that process, the government puts out a request for proposals that details the project and invites companies to bid. It then decides from the companies that respond. This allows some transparency as companies publicize what they think the project will cost and why. And, it lets companies that lose out challenge the results.

The Executive Residence managed the ballroom construction project. That office typically handles more routine repairs and furniture purchasing for the White House. It's exempt from the contracting requirements other federal agencies have, allowing the project to proceed with a no-bid process.

Clark Construction is one of the largest construction companies in the Mid-Atlantic region. It has a lot of government work in the area already, including building the National Museum of African American History, Baltimore's Back River Wastewater Treatment plant.

Trump has championed the ballroom project as a way for the White House to host large events. He has also been deeply involved in its design.

"Our Great National Security Facility and Ballroom is moving along on schedule," Trump said on Truth Social on Sunday. "When completed, there will be nothing like it anywhere in the World!"