The US administration has confidentially awarded a contract worth up to $500 million to build a White House ballroom without a standard competitive bidding process, The Washington Post (WP) reported, citing a copy of the agreement.
The “Secret Document“ was submitted through the White House Office of Renovations and Furnishings, which is exempt from competitive bidding requirements. According to a copy of the agreement, last year, administration officials “secretly, without bidding” awarded a contract worth up to half a billion dollars to Clark Construction for construction using an unusual scheme. This allows them to bypass standard contracting procedures designed to control costs.
Competitive bidding is typically used in most U.S. federal agencies. According to experts, the White House is exempt from these rules and the American leader has the right to hire companies of his choice.
As WP previously reported, the cost of the ballroom that the administration is building has tripled since the ambitious project was announced last year, reaching nearly $600 million. Half of that amount is expected to come from federal sources.
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