一年前，北达科他州承包商Fisher Sand＆Gravel Co.正在诉诸唐纳德·特朗普总统的个人诉讼，参观其私人资助的边境墙项目和联邦法院，以进入美国的大规模联邦墙建设计划新利18备用网址-Mexico边界。

The combined effort propelled the firm headlong into the federal arena, with a $400-million wall construction去年12月奖from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, for 31 miles of border barrier in Arizona, as one of 11 contractors pre-approved to bid for up to $5 billion of budgeted work segments.

It was a coup for a company that pushed its way into the program, even with a heavy construction track record on state and local public works and a web site that touts its past project feats and a fondness for the "tough jobs," including border barriers the firm built on private land to showcase its capabiiities.

据报道的公司政治捐款受益者，南达科他州参议院共和党人凯文·克莱默（Kevin Cramer）等政治支持者的协助帮助提高了其知名度，以吸引白宫的关注，这正在加快努力，以实现特朗普的重要竞选承诺，以完成约400英里的努力。到年底到墙。

法律行动也是在联邦舞台和以前的工作中获得竞争优势的工具。

Tommy Fisher, CEO of Fisher Sand & Gravel, appeared frequently on Fox News channels to tout his company's wall-building capabilities. Image: Partial screenshot from Fox Business broadcast

Fisher Sand＆Gravel于2017年首次将联邦墙壁建筑入围名单提供了边境墙原型，最终不符合国土安全规范的军团或部门。

The firm then relied onlitigation and a federal bid protestwhen it failed to be considered to bid on two projects. While the legal actions were dismissed, the firm was late accepted into the group of pre-approved task order bidders last spring.

With no official detail on those developments, media can only speculate on the catalysts, with a December 2019 report inSlatecontending that it was then-Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen who allowed Fisher Sand & Gravel to vie for the $400-million task order it ultimately was awarded, with strong White House pressure.

国防部的一份文件说，该公司定于12月30日根据该奖项获得2.7亿美元，如果行使期权，则获得了4亿美元的其余部分。

Private Border Wall

Tommy Fisher, CEO of the family-owned company, had touted its wall design and construction abilities on TV news outlets known to be favored by President Trump. He has also invited Corps and federal border protection officials to view its smaller privately funded border walls on private land, including what is said to be property Fisher himself purchased, in Mission, Texas and Sunland Park, N.M.

But neither Fisher nor other company executives have responded to ENR or other media on its federal and private wall building issues.

New controversy erupted last week over a second Corps award to Fisher Sand & Gravel—a nearly $1.3-billion "task order" for 42 miles of wall in another Arizona segment that is the agency's largest single wall building contract to date. It was made amid ongoing scrutiny of the first wall contract, under investigation since early December by the U.S. Defense Dept. Inspector General, after a House committee request.

Neither task order win is noted on websites of Fisher Sand & Gravel or its parent, Fisher Industries.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, (D-Miss) questioned the latest award, while the IG probe is ongoing and may not finish until at least June, a government source told ENR.

汤普森在5月20日的声明中说：“事实仍然是，国防部监察长尚未确定是否适当授予12月合同。”“鉴于冠状病毒大流行和正在进行的调查……政府应暂停建设和签约决定，直到调查得以有利，并且可以恢复非必需的建筑项目。”新利18备用网址

工程师军团任务订单

The Corps confirmed the larger new award to Fisher Sand & Gravel was on May 6, although it was not announced at the time on the Defense Dept.’s contract award website.

An agency spokesman said the disclosure was not required because the award was a competitive task order made under the Corps Western Multiple Award Task Order Contract, the $5-billion firm-fixed-price contract vehicle being used for work to design and build border structures.

The pre-approved firms compete for task orders awarded under it.

The estimated $30-million per mile cost for the contract—known as Tucson Package 3—was estimated in some news reports as $10 million per mile higher than average wall building cost.

Corps spokesman Jay Fieldtold the Arizona Starthat “each project cost is contingent upon its unique characteristics, such as geotechnical, topographical, hydrological and hydraulic, underground utilities, final real estate access and the cost of materials and labor."

The Fisher award is “a series of projects within a geographical area with more complex terrain,” Corps spokeswoman Raini Brunson told ENR, adding that the task order was competed and awarded to the firm with the lowest-price technically acceptable offer. The project start and completion dates have not yet been determined, she said.

In comments to media, Sen. Cramer confirmed the new contract cost, noting it was through “really tough terrain in the mountains” in Arizona.

The 42.5-mile border stretch south of Tucson also includes water crossings such as the Santa Cruz River basin, which floods during summer storms and will require storm gates, Corps and other border officials toldThe Washington Post.

Extra Cost To Paint Border Wall

Also adding to cost was a design change reportedly pushed by Trump, to paint the barrier black to absorb solar heat and further thwart would-be border crossers, which would add about $1.2 million per mile, said帖子. It cited government contracting estimates obtained and engineering assessments from unidentified experts, who said the coating will increase long-term maintenance costs and boost by less than 10% the steel-bar topped bollard barrier's ability to retain heat.

Fisher told media last December that there would be “nothing to find” in an audit of its first contract, and that the firm was told it was "the lowest price and the best value."

费舍尔Sand & Gravel is a unit of Fisher Industries—whosewebsite促进了它“喜欢艰难的工作”（从1950年代初期的总开采业务到具有八个部门的多维材料和设备制造，拆除和重型建筑公司）的演变。

According to its website, the firm has 1,200 employees in nine southwestern, northern plains and west coast states.

Company revenue is not disclosed, and the firm has not participated in ENR annual contractor rankings.

But Fisher said in federal court testimony in January that company revenue was about $700 million, according to德克萨斯州月刊

According to a calendar year 2018 Dun & Bradstreet financial report for the firm obtained by ENR, its parent company is 100% owned by Tommy Fisher and has total assets of $353.4 million and current liabilities of $45.6 million, with an 8.8% margin.

费舍尔Sand & Gravel has worked on public sector projects, including roads, bridges, levees and dams. “Fisher's real strength is moving dirt, that’s where they excel,” says one public works agency official who declined to be identified. “Tommy’s a real salesman.”

Fisher's Prior Projects

The firm gained some attention in2012年完成建设of the complex Galena Creek bridge in Nevada when the previous contractor was terminated, leaving at 60% complete what was then the world's largest cathedral tied arch span.

该州DOT于2006年末授予Fisher Sand＆Gravel，这是一份39330万美元的合同，以完成I-580高速公路项目的结构以及相关的道路和桥梁建设，这是州机构历史上最大的最大奖项，尽管竞标是19.1％根据媒体报告和行业消息来源，高于工程师的估计和强迫削减。新利18备用网址

The project “found its footing” under Fisher, said ENR at the time, with the firm changing the construction approach.

自那时以来，费舍尔·桑德（Fisher Sand＆Gravel）一直在内华达州的DOT工作，于2018年完成了I-11的第一部分，这是一家新的州际公路，并于1月份授予了北拉斯维加斯的9,900万美元交换项目。

“The firm is attracted to large multiyear projects,” says one industry executive. "But it's been known to pull equipment and manpower from job to job.”

According to information obtained by ENR, Fisher Sand & Gravel has faced liquidated damages on Nevada DOT projects totaling more than $107 million since 2016.

In a statement, the agency said that “although the department has previously levied contractual liquidated damages against Fisher Sand & Gravel, as recently as last year – primarily for time and material related delays – it’s still the exception rather than the norm. Fisher is a proven and valued contracting partner."

But court convictions of now former Fisher Industries family executives on federal income tax evasion and other charges dating back more than a decade cost the firm large awards on which it was low bidder inClark County, Nev.和in Wyoming. The firm gained a multi-million-dollan settlement in the county procurement following two lawsuits it filed, one contending bias against hiring a nonunion firm.

Fisher also settled in 2017 with Maricopa County, Ariz., related to years of alleged air-quality violations from its asphalt plant, agreeing to pay $1 million, and has also paid more than $2.1 million in federal tax and environmental penalties, says Texas Monthly.

Prior Wall Building

Fisher Sand＆Gravel在其新的Wall Building Push中推广了最近在德克萨斯州和新墨西哥州的私人墙项目，尽管都反对。新利18备用网址德克萨斯州的三英里墙距离里奥格兰德河边缘约35英尺，面临州和联邦诉讼，其中包括美国司法部的一项诉讼。违反国际边境条约in building in the river floodplain without proper permissions, and ls expected to require some design and construction changes.

Related to its first site in Sunland Park, N.M. near El Paso that was completed last June, the firm contends in its website promotion and accompanying video, that its "vertical integration business model allowed ... total control over all major aspects of this border wall construction project including design, steel procurement, fence fabrication, heavy-haul transportation, grading/excavation, fence installment, and all concrete work. Upon completion, Fisher is now able to show that we are capable of constructing in any terrain along the border. We feel that our schedule and price are both unmatched."

即便如此，联邦边境墙计划的建设成本上升似乎促使一名高级军团新利18备用官网登录官员在5月20日披露，该机构已取消了亚利桑那州合同边界墙建设的“由于困难的地形”和“高于预期的“承包商的定价，并对2020财年资助的其他五个项目进行了更改。新利18备用网址

brig。军事计划副主任格伦·戈达德将军在联邦地方法院诉讼中提交的文件中透露了降低成本，但没有披露金额没有国会批准。

Numerous state attorneys general and environmental and advocacy groups have sued the Administration over the diversions.

Corps spokeswoman Brunson declined to elaborate on a reason for the cancelled Yuma A segment 1 project—a seven-mile barrier along the Colorado River just before it reaches the border—although it is believed to involve issues in land acquisition.

She added that portions of other projects totaling about 15 miles along the border "were not awarded due to high proposal costs." But Brunson told ENR on May 29 that "cost savings realized from competitive acquisitions" now will enable award of three other section contracts.

同时，正在进行的诉讼还向加利福尼亚州，亚利桑那州，新墨西哥州和德克萨斯州的Fast-Track Wall建设挑战了几十个环境和公共卫生法的联邦豁免。

The Trump administration on May 21 asked the U.S. Supreme Court to dismiss a request by one environmental group to consider whether the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security chief's waiver of the laws violates the Constitution’s separation of powers.