The National Park Service secretly awarded a no-bid contract to the same company building a ballroom for former President Donald Trump. The contract, worth millions, was for a nearby job at Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C.
The contract went to Maryland-based Clark Construction, the firm behind the Trump ballroom project. Experts described the process as highly unusual.
The Park Service increased the contract’s value several times before finalizing the deal. No competitive bidding process was used for the work.
The Lafayette Park project involved repairing fountains and other infrastructure near the White House. Clark Construction was already working on the Trump ballroom a few blocks away.
Government contracting specialists questioned the lack of transparency in the award. They noted that no-bid contracts typically require special justification.
The Park Service did not publicly announce the contract changes or the lack of competition. Records show the agency raised the contract value incrementally.
Clark Construction has a long history of large government projects. The company declined to comment on the no-bid arrangement.
